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PLACERS  OF 
IFORNIA 


BULLETIN  N 


J!>  BY  THS 

TE  MINING  BUREAU 

[C    .    SAN  FRANCISCO 


mmmmmSBSmStmiSBSB 


1923 


BERKELEY 

LIBRARY 


EARTH 

SCIENCES 
LIBRARY 


GIFT 

NOV   121924 


'^   CALIFORNIA  STATE  MINING  BUREAU 


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A     ^ 


FERRY  BUILDING,  SAN  FRANCISCO 
LLOYD  L.  ROOT  State  Mineralogist 


San  Francisco] 


BULLETIN  No.  92    . 


[June,  1923 


GOLD  PLACERS 


OF 


CALIFORNIA 


CHARLES  SCOTT  HALEY 


CALIFORNIA  STATE  PRINTING  OFI'ICi; 

FRANK  J.  SMITH,  Supcrliit.omleiit 

SACRAMENTO,  1023 


2SG03 


~A^V^:-f:y"Ki--<! 


SCIENCE 
UBRAJtV 


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DEPT. 


3 


CONTENTS. 


rago 

I.ETTER   OF    TRANSMITTAL 3 

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 1 

FOREWORD    5 

Outline  of  the  Ijulletin   and  the   points  proved   in   same. 

Chapter  I.     Control  of  Mining   Debris 9 

Debris  control  and  its  results.  History  of  problem  and  efforts  to  sol\e 
same.  Results.  Outline  of  a  comprehensive  plan  of  debris  control  in  tlie 
Sacramento  and  San  Joaquin  valleys.     Fiiture  benefits  to  be  derived. 

Chapter  II.     Placer    Mining    Methods 26 

Methods  of  handling  and  commercial  exploitation  of  gold-taearins  alluvials. 
Adaptation  of  different  methods  to  varying  types  of  deposits.  Prospecting 
methods. 

Chapter  III.     Placer    Resources S2 

A  brief  description,  by  districts,  of  the  location  and  extent  of  the  principal 
gold  placers  in  California.  Accompanied  by  a  map  showing  the  courses  of 
ancient  channels  and  the  distribution  of  the  principal  hydraulic  gravels  of 
the  State  of  California,  in  the  region  known  as  the  Sierra  Nevada  Gold  P.elt ; 
and  a  geological  table,  by  Mr.  Mark  Ailing,  showing  the  relative  ages  of  the 
Cretaceous   and  Tertiarv   channels. 


737 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PHOTOHUAPHS—  Page 

1.  Characteristic    Hydraulicking    Gravels    in    Peru 2G 

-.  Close-up    of    Same    Gravels    in    Peru 26 

3.  Natives  Washing  with  Rocker  in   Peru 29 

4.  Nechi  River  at  I'ato.     Characteristic  Dredging  Gravels  in   Colombia 30 

f).  I'ortage   Creek,    on,  the   Little   Delta,   Alaska 31 

(i.  Panning  on  Portage   Creek 32 

7.  Dredge  on  Hunker  Creek,  Klondike  Region 33 

5.  Thawing  Frozen  Ground  on   Hunker  Creek,   Yukon  Territory 34 

It.  Typical   Alaskan   Gravels   near   Circle   City,   Alaska 3G 

111.      Hydraulic  Mining  near  Forks  of  Salmon,   Siskiyou  County,   California 4  3 

12.  Ruble    Elevator    at    Gilta,    California 44 

Note   tlie  sluice  under  the  inclined  grizzly. 

13.  'Boiling-out'    witli    Ruble    Elevator 43 

14.  Pliotograpli    Showing    the    Size    of    Boulders    put    through    the    Ruble 

Elevator 47 

1.5.     Yukon  Gold  Company's  Mechanical  Elevator,  Dawson,  Yukon  Territory 64 

16.  Drag  Scraper  near  Fairbanks,  Alaska 6.5 

17.  View   of   Giffen    Placer    Machine,    Taken    When    ^Vashing    2  4    Yards    per 

Hour,     Rocklin,     California 68 

15.  Giffen  Placer  Machine.     General  Appearance  of  Plant 69 

19.  Scott  Mountain  Region,  Siskiyou  County,  California 96 

20.  Scott  Mountain  Region,  Siskiyou  County,  California 97 

21.  Hupp   Mine    on    Nimshew    Ridge 102 

22.  Gravel   Bank  at  Australia  Mine 109 

23.  Gopher  Hill   Diggings — 110 

24.  Nelson    Creek,    Plumas    County 116 

25.  Flume  at  Morington  Mine,  Middle  Fork,  Feather  River 105 

26.  Derrick  at  Morington  Mine,   Middle  Fork,   Feather  River 106 

27.  Gibraltar    Mine,    Sierra    County 115 

28.  Basalt   Intrusions   at   Port  Wine,    Sierra  County 121 

29.  Poverty    Hill,    Sierra   County 125 

30.  Close-up  of  Poverty  Hill  Gravels 125 

31.  Gi-avel  at  Scales,   Sierra  County 121 

32.  Characteristic    Glacier    on    Alaskan    Coast 120 

33.  Near   Soulsbyville,   Tuolumne  County 149 

34.  Head  of  Goler  Wash,  P'anamint  Mountains 157 

35.  Dry  Waslier    (close-up),   Summit  Diggings,   Kern   County 158 

36.  Dry  Waslier,  at  Summit  Diggings,   Kern   County 159 

Plates — 

I.      Details   of   Rocker   Construction 74 

II.     Map    Showing  a   Portion   of   the   Neocene   Gravel   Cliannels   of    Nevada 

County lis 

III.  Map  of  Gibsonville-La  Porte-St.   Louis  Auriferous   Cliannels 123 

IV.  Map  of  the   Dutch  Flat,   Gold  Run,   Little  York,   and  You  Bet  Mining 

Districts 128 

V.     Profile  of  tlie  Tertiary  South  Yuba  and  American  Rivers 142 

VI.     Geologic   Cliart   appertaining  to   the   Ancient   River  Beds   of   California 

(In     pocket) 

VII.      Map  of  Sierran   Gold  Belt  showing  Gravel   Channels (In   pocket) 


LETTER  OF  TRANSMITTAL. 


To  Wis  ExveJlenc}!,  the  Honorable  Friend  Wm.  I'Jiciiakuson, 
Gov(nw)'  of  ihe  State  of  California. 

Sir:  I  have  the  lionor  to  lierewitli  transmit  BuUetin  No.  92  of  the 
State  ^Milling  Bureau,  rehitinc;  to  the  Cold  Placers  of  California 

As  a  result  of  adverse  legislation,  placer  mining  (partieularly  hydi-au- 
lie)  was  practically  l)rought  to  a  standstill  ])y  tlie  Sawyer  decision  in 
1884.  The  faet  that  vast  sums  remain  in  the  gravels  of  our  ancient 
river  channels  is  shown  hy  the  result  of  two  years  of  investigation,  and 
that  there  is,  roughly,  in  tlie  neighborhood  of  -l^l.OOO.OOO.OOO  that  '-an 
be  recovered  economically. 

A  perfectly  feasible  plan  for  the  workinu'  of  the  ground  under  tlie 
provisions  of  the  Caminetti  Act  is  suggested,  ami  is  to  some  extent  now 
being  carried  out  by  private  corporations. 

This  l)ulletin  is  presented  to  the  pulilic  in  the  liope  tlial  the  informa- 
tion contained  will  result  in  a  benefit  to  tlu^  State  of  California,  as  well 
as  to  the  gold  mining  industry. 

Kespectfully  submitted. 

LLOvn  Tj.  Root, 
State  Mineralogist. 


ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. 


For  assistance  and  cordial  cooperation  in  the  preparation  of  this 
l)iilletin,  the  writer  is  mainly  indebted  to  the  miners  of  the  State  of 
California.  At  all  times,  and  in  all  places,  from  the  offices  oF  the 
])rincipal  niiniiiii'  companies  in  tlie  larger  cities  to  the  humblest  cabins 
in  the  mountains,  the  most  ready  support  and  assistance  have  been 
invariably  afforded,  often  at  considerable  personal  inconvenience  and 
expense  to  the  donors. 

To  my  very  conscientious  and  capable  assistant  in  the  field  during- 
the  early  stages  of  the  woi-k.  ]Mr.  Theodore  Van  Dervoort.  Jr..  much 
credit  is  due  for  the  chapters  on  the  Klamath  and.  Feather  Eiver 
regions.  To  Messrs.  Leon  Clough.  Ben  Jones,  E.  C.  Kelsey,  and  C.  D. 
Hazzard,  of  Quincy,  California:  to  ^lessrs.  AV.  AV.  AVaggoner,  AVilliam 
Alaguire,  and  E.  C.  I^ren.  of  Nevada  City ;  to  Air.  Charles  Jen^tt,  of 
Georgetown;  to  Air.  Tillotson,  of  the  Glenn  Aline.  Placer  County:  to 
Air.  Almon  Smith,  of  Chico ;  and  to  Alessrs.  James  AI.  Hill,  of  the  XI.  S. 
Geological  Survey,  Arthur  Nicholls,  Alark  Ailing,  Henry  Bradley, 
and  AA''.  A.  Hunter,  of  San  Francisco,  thanks  are  also  given  for  the  use 
of  i)ers:onal  notes  and  accumulated  data.  To  Air.  Charles  (}.  Yale. 
formerly  of  the  T'.  S.  Geological  Survey,  for  kindly  criticism  and 
a.ssistance;  and  to  Air.  IT.  Foster  Bain.  Avho,  while  editor  of  the  Alining 
and  Scientific  Press,  first  directed  my  attention  to  this  work,  my  thanks 
are  likewise  due. 

To  many  others,  too  numerous  to  mention  individually,  of  the  mining 
i'raternity  in  California  thanks  also  are  due  for  time  and  services  freely 
given  in  the  preparation  of  this  report. 

In  conclusion,  as  an  independent  consulting  engineer  called  into  the 
service  of  the  state  for  the  purpose  of  making  this  report,  I  wish  to 
acknowledge  the  splendid  support  and  unfailing  courtesy  of  all  of  the 
officials  of  the  State  Alining  Bureau,  both  under  the  former  administra- 
tion, headed  by  Air.  Fletcher  Hamilton ;  and  the  present,  headed  by  Air. 
Ijloyd  Koot.  It  has  been  a  privilege  to  be  a.ssociated,  even  for  a  short 
time,  with  such  an  organization.  exemi)lifying  as  it  does  tlie  highest 
ideals  of  service  to  the  mining  industry. 

CiT.VRi.Ki^  SroTT  Hai.ey. 


GOLD   PLACERS   OF   CALIFORNIA. 

Forewora. 

In  spite  of  the  fact  that  the  gokl  phieers  of  California  have  produced 
over  a  billion  dollars  since  their  discovery  in  1848,  the  idea  that  they 
are  now  completely  exhausted  is  entirely  erroneous.  The  closing  down 
of  the  hydraulic  mines  of  the  State  was  accomplished  by  the  famous 
Sawyer  decision  of  1884,  and  tlieir  attempted  reopening,  under  the 
terms  of  the  Caniinetti  Act  of  1898,  was  so  bitterly  fought  at  every  turn 
by  the  agricultural  interests  of  the  State,  that  the  industry,  so  far  as 
tributaries  of  the  Sacramento  and  San  Joaquin  rivers  are  concerned, 
has  lapsed  into  a  moribund  condition. 

The  prinuiry  cause  of  this  was  the  complete  disregard  of  tlie  rights  of 
the  farmers  of  the  State  by  certain  mining  interests  prior  to  1884  and 
a  revengeful  spirit  sliown  by  certain  farming  interests  toward  the 
miners  when  the  agricultural  interests  gained  tlie  upper  hjuid  in  the 
courts. 

Had  a  spirit  of  compromise  prevailed  in  the  ranks  of  ])Oth  the 
mining  and  the  agricultural  interests,  there  would  have  been  in  1884, 
and  there  would  l)e  now,  no  reason  why  a  workable  plan  for  the  con- 
tinuation of  hydraulic  mining  should  not  have  l)een  put  into  effect.  In 
the  course  of  an  investigation  of  placer  mining  conditions  in  this  State, 
made  by  the  California  State  Alining  Bureau,  in  the  past  two  years, 
certain  facts  have  been  clearly  estal)lished;  and  it  is  the  purpose  of 
this  report  to  prove  these  facts,  which  may  be  summarized  as  follows : 

The  principal  gold  placer  area  of  California  lies  in  the  Sierra  Nevadas 
between  Susanville  on  the  north  and  ^Mariposa  on  the  south.  This  area 
is  the  one  that  is  restricted  by  the  present  debris  law.  It  is  trii)utary 
to  the  Sacramento  and  San  Joaquin  rivers,  which  have  been  classed  as 
navigable  streams.  Aside  from  this  area,  there  is  a  very  considerable 
yardage  of  available  gravel  still  remaining  on  the  tributaries  of  the 
Klanmth  River,  which  will  be  discussed  in  the  economic  section  of  this 
report.  The  district  within  the  Sierras,  however,  is  by  far  the  most 
important  from  an  economic  standpoint.  From  investigations  thus  far. 
it  seems  fairly  safe  to  assume  a  total  of  about  seven  billion  yards  of 
gravel  distributed  among  the  diiferent  drainage  areas,  as  follows 
approximatelv:  Feather  River  500,000,000  yards;  Yuba  River 
3.500,000.000"  yards ;  Bear  and  American  rivers  2,500.000.000  yards: 
iNIokelunnie,  Cosumnes.  Calaveras.  Tuolumne,  and  Stanislaus  rivers 
500,000,000  yards.  The  above  figures  include  both  drift  and  hydraulic 
ground. 

The  above  total  of  7,000,000,000  yards  is  of  course  not  all  availal)l(^ 
for  woi'king  from  an  economic  standi)oint.  It  is  fairly  safe  to  assume 
that  at  least  40  per  cent  of  this,  due  to  its  location  and  elevation  witli 
regard  to  available  water,  is  not  feasible  for  working.  This  leaves, 
roughly,  al)out  4.000,000.000  yards,  wliich,  judging  from  past  perform- 
ance in  the  days  of  uiu-estricted  mining,  .should  yii'ld  an  average  of 
about  15  cents  a  yard:  and  if  hydraulic  mining  is  restoi-ed  luider 
proper  restrictions  with  reuard  to  controlling  of  debris,  there  is, 
roughly  in  the  ncighltorhood  of  .^fiOO. 000.000  to  be  ivcovered  fi'om  these 
drainage  systems  alone. 

A  perfectly  feasilile  ])laii  for  tlie  working  of  tliis  ground,  imdcf  liu' 
provision  of  the  Caminctti  Act,  is  now  sugi,M'sted  and  is  to  .simie  extent 


n  .       CALIFORNIA    STATE    MINING   BUREAU. 

now  l)uing'  carried  out  by  private  corporations.  Should  tlie  work  be 
amplified  to  cover  the  whole  drainage  system,  it  should  pi'operly  be 
under  the  control  of  the  national  and  state  governments  in  conjunction. 

Briefly,  the  plan  would  consist  of  the  erection  of  concrete  debris  dams 
at  controlling  points  on  the  Feather,  the  Yuba,  the  Bear,  the  American, 
the  Cosumnes,  the  Mokelumne,  and  the  Calaveras  rivers.  These  dams 
will  take  care,  not  only  of  the  hydraulic  miners'  debris,  but  also  of  the 
natural  erosion,  which  is  now  being  carried  into  the  Sacramento  and 
San  Joacpiin  rivers  by  their  tributaries,  regardless  of  the  restriction  and 
even  elimination  of  hydraulic  operations. 

By  various  independent  investigators  it  has  been  estimated  that  the 
debris  carried  down  from  natural  erosion  is  from  100  to  200  per  cent 
greater  than  the  amount  caused  by  the  mining  operations. 

These  concrete  dams  will  take  care  of  all  of  the  debris,  with  the 
exception  of  such  slimes  and  flocculent  matter  as  are  carried  over  them 
in  suspension  by  the  winter  and  spring  floods.  This  material  can 
readily  be  taken  care  of  by  the  erection  of  barriers  in  the  Sacramento 
and  San  Joaquin  valleys  similar  to  the  Yuba  barrier  at  Daguerre  Point. 
The  material  impounded  behind  these  barriers  can  be  pumped  out  and 
used  for  the  reclaiming  of  swamp  lands  in  the  vicinity  at  a  cost  not  to 
exceed  five  cents  a  cubic  yard. 

The  advantages  to  the  State  of  California  which  would  accrue  from 
a  construction  of  these  works  would  be  tremendous.  In  the  first  place, 
the  Sacramento  and-  San  Joaquin  rivers,  notably  the  former,  would 
l)egin  cutting  down  to  the  old  grades,  which  existed  in  1848.  This 
would  result  in  the  restoration  of  navigation  in  these  rivers  up  to  Colusa 
and  Marysville,  as  in  former  days.  The  advantage  to  farmers  of  con- 
venient transportation  on  the  Sacramento  River  would  be  of  great 
value. 

The  effect  of  this  clearing  of  the  rivers  would  first  be  felt  in  San 
Francisco  Bay.  The  action  of  the  tidal  flow  in  the  Golden  Gate  would 
in  a  few  years  clear  the  channel  to  Mare  Island  Navy  Yard  and  would 
prevent  the  abandonment  of  this  navy  station,  which  is  now  being 
seriously  considered  by  the  government,  due  to  the  continual  silting  up 
of  the  channel  from  the  debris  now  being  carried  down  by  natural 
erosion.  Proceeding  up  the  rivers,  the  expense  of  dredging  and  keeping 
the  channel  clear  on  both  the  Sacramento  and  the  San  Joaquin  woiild^ 
gradually  be  eliminated.  The  necessity  of  building  levees  would  be 
gone  in  a  few  years,  and  the  direct  expenditure  saved  to  the  taxpayers 
of  this  State  and  .those  of  the  nation  would  be  considerable.  The  fact 
of  easily  available  transportation  of  the  farming  products  of  the  Sacra- 
mento Valley  to  centers  of  distribution  would  result  in  lowering  the 
cost  of  farm  products  to  the  consumer. 

The  miner,  secure  in  the  knowledge  that  his  tailings  were  being 
impounded  permanently  and  without  any  injury  whatsoever  to  the 
farming  lands  below,  would  begin  storing  water  for  mining  operations 
in  every  available  creek  and  river.  This  water,  which  now  goes  to 
waste  in  the  annual  winter  and  spring  floods,  especially  during  the 
months  of  April  and  IMay,  Avould  be  held  back  in  small  reservoirs  and 
turned  into  tlic  rivci-  during  the  months  of  July  and  August,  when  it 
is  most   nceilcd  liy  jlic  farnici's  below  for  irrigation   t>uri>oses.     Tliis  in. 


GOLD    PLACEKS   OF    CALIKOKNIA.  < 

itself  would  be  worth  thousands,  and  even  millions  of  dolhirs,  to  the 
farmers. 

In  euttin<i'  down  to  their  ohl  grades,  the  Sacramento  and  its  tribu- 
taries would  automatieally  rei-laim  several  hundred  thousand  acres  of 
land  which  is  now  swamp,  and  which  would  be  converted  by  this  action 
into  rich  farminj;  land,  thereby  chanfjinj^  its  value  from  about  ten 
dollars  an  acre  to  from  ten  to  thirty  times  that  nmch.  The  counties 
that  would  be  notably  and  favorably  affected  by  this  action  Avould  ])e 
Colusa,  Sutter,  Yuba,  (Jlenn,  and  Yolo.  The  increased  value  of  land 
due  to  this  reclamation  would  in  itself  pay  for  the  cost  of  installation 
of  the  projected  dams. 

The  power  companies  would  benefit  materially  from  the  sfovernment 
construction  of  these  dams.  At  present  the  cost  of  these  works  is 
defrayed  by  bonding  the  power  companies,  and  service  charges  made 
are  ultimately  borne  by  the  consumer  to  carry  the  interest  and  principal 
of  these  bonds.  If  the  cost  of  these  dams  was  initially  borne  by  the 
crovernment  and  they  were  leased  for  power  purposes  on  long  term 
leases  to  the  present  operating  power  companies  at  a  figure  which  would 
carry  their  amortization  over  a  period  of.  say,  one  hundred  years,  the 
increased  power  available  could  be  furnished  under  federal  and  state 
regulation  to  the  consumers  of  California  at  a  very  moderate  fioure  and 
still  leave  a  fair  profit  for  the  companies.  In  addition  to  this,  the  power 
companies  would  rest  secure  against  any  fundamental  invasion  of  their 
future  possibilities  of  power  development  from  freak  legislation  of  any 
sort  or  type  whatsoever. 

The  advantages  to  the  cities  of  Sacramento  and  ^larysville,  as  Avell 
as  many  other  communities,  from  the  flood  protection  offered  by  these 
dams,  is  incalculable.  From  the  earliest  days  of  the  civilized  occupa- 
tion of  California,  about  once  in  a  generation  an  uncontrollable  flood 
has  resulted  in  the  loss  of  millions  of  dollars  and  of  many  lives.  These 
floods  are  periodically  recurrent.  Tender  present  conditions,  whenever 
tlu^  flood  plane  of  the  American  River  and  that  of  the  Yuba  and  its 
tril)utaries  rise  concurrently  and  not  separated  by  from  four  to  five 
days,  as  is  generally  the  case,  the  cities  of  Sacramento  and  INIarysville 
are  doomed  to  a  loss  which,  in  tlu'ir  present  condition,  would  run  from 
five  to  fifty  millions  of  dollars,  depending  upon  the  severity  and  extent 
of  the  flood.  No  levees  as  yet  con.structed  or  capa])le  of  being  con- 
structed will  control  the  Sacramento  River  under  flood  conditions,  for 
the  reason  that  the  cross  sectional  area  of  the  Caniuinez  Straits  will 
discharge  only  one-fifth  of  the  volume  of  water  tliat  the  tributaries  of 
the  Sacramento  and  San  Joaquin  rivers  will  pour  down  under  maximum 
flood  conditions.  The  excess  water  l)acks  up  in  tlie  valley  and  at  stated 
intervals,  generally  about  once  in  a  generation,  will  completely  iniuidate 
the  two  cities  above  mentioned  and  cause  uncontrollable  loss. 

It  has  been  proved  in  the  case  of  tlie  city  of  Dayton,  Ohio,  that  the 
building  of  control  dams  on  the  tributaries  of  the  river  is  the  only 
means  of  avoiding  such  a  catastrophe.  By  proper  supervision  and 
emptying  of  the  reservoirs  behind  the  dams  upon  the  approach  of  such 
a  flood,  the  maximiun  dischariie  into  the  rivers  can  be  conti-olled  so  as 
to  maintain  a  steady  flow,  which  will  not  materially  endanger  the  cities 
ahmg  Ihe  banks  of  the  i-iver. 


8  CALIFORNIA    STATE    MINING   BUREAU, 

The  above  are  the  advantages  to  the  people  of  the  State  not  directly 
affected  by  the  gravel  miner.  It  is  not  proposed  to  restore  hydraulic 
mining  on  the  scale  in  vi^hieh  it  was  practiced  during  the  days  from 
1870  to  1884.  There  is  gravel  available  in  the  Sierras  to  keep  the 
hydraulic  miner  going  for  the  next  hundred  years  at  an  annual  produc- 
tion of  five  million  dollars  and  over.  This  production  will  result  in 
an  increased  value  given  to  taxable  property  in  all  the  mountain 
counties  of  the  Sierras.  Many  thousands  of  men  will  be  given  employ- 
ment, not  only  in  the  construction  of  these  dams,  but  in  the  working  of 
the  gravel  properties.  The  quartz  mines  themselves  will  be  helped  from 
the  reduction  in  their  taxation,  from  the  increased  available  supply  of 
labor,  and  from  the  fact  that  during  the  summer  and  fall  months 
innumerable  prospectors  who  have  been  working  in  the  placer  mines 
during  the  winter  and  spring,  will  be  spread  over  the  country  and  will 
undoubtedly  discover  and  begin  to  open  new  quartz  properties  for 
development  by  capital  later  on. 

Every  merchant  in  every  small  town,  village  and  city  in  California 
will  benefit  by  the  introduction  of  this  flood  of  new  gold  every  year. 
Their  sales  will  be  increased  by  the  greater  buying  power  of  the 
inountain   counties. 

Under  the  provisions  of  the  Caminetti  Act,  these  dams  are  provided 
for,  their  original  cost  to  be  borne  by  the  government  and  to  be  repaid 
by  a  three  per  cent  income  tax  borne  by  the  miners.  As  a  matter  of 
fact,  this  cost  will  be  repaid  many  times  over  by  the  value  of  the 
reclaimed  land,  the  water  available  to  the  farmers  for  irrigation,  the 
power  available  to  the  consumers  through  the  power  companies,  the 
reduced  cost  of  transportation,  and  the  restoration  of  the  old,  open 
clear  channels  to  the  State  of  California. 

So  far  as  the  miner  is  concerned,  his  benefit  is  the  smaller  considera- 
tion of  this  plan,  as  his  increased  scale  of  operation  and  production, 
resulting  in  an  increase  of  five  to  ten  millions  per  year  in  gold  of  the 
State,  is  very  small,  compared  to  the  value  of  the  increased  production 
and  lowering  in  cost  of  the  agricultural  products  of  the  valley. 

In  conclusion,  it  may  be  stated  that  the  purpose  of  this  report  is  to 
prove  the  facts  that  have  been  stated  in  the  above  summary.  To  this 
end  the  report  has  been  divided  into  an  economic  chapter  showing  the 
resources  and  availability  of  the  placer  gravels  of  the  State ;  a  chapter 
showing  the  most  profitalile  methods  of  working  them ;  and  a  chapter 
showing  the  feasibility  and  going  into  the  details  of  the  plan  for  the 
restoration  of  hydraulic  mining  which  has  been  outlined  above. 

Again  it  should  ])e  emphasized  that  this  plan  will  work  primarily 
for  the  agricultural  interests  of  this  State,  and  secondly  for  the  benefit 
of  the  miners,  and  through  them  to  the  benefit  of  the  power  companies, 
the  merchants,  the  artisans  and  mechanics ;  and  in  short,  to  the  benefit 
of  the  people  of  the  State  as  a  whole.  There  is  no  single  individual  in 
the  State  who  works  with  hand  or  brain  who  will  not  benefit  by  the 
increased  agricultural  and  mineral  production  that  will  be  poured  into 
the  coffers  of  the  State  for  hundreds  of  j^ears  in  the  future  as  a  result 
of  the  measures  recommended  above ;  and  the  increased  prosperity  of 
the  State  will  be  reflected  in  that  of  tlie  country  at  large. 


GOLD   PLACERS   OF    CALIFOKNIA.  V 

CHAPTER    I. 
CONTROL  OF  MINING  DEBRIS. 

As  tlie  early  history  of  the  American  occupation  of  California  is 
associated  with  the  irold  miners  of  'forty-nine,'  so  the  economic  develoj)- 
ment  of  the  State  is  bound  up  with  the  history  of  hydraulic  mining. 
During  the  period  from  1848  to  1860,  the  working  of  the  gravels  by 
hand  was  very  easy,  owing  to  the  thousands  of  acres  of  light  gravel 
whose  shallow  banks  held  the  concentrates  of  the  gold  derived  from  the 
ancient  eroded  auriferous  channels.  This  work  in  the  early  days  was 
done  chiefly  by  the  use  of  the  pan,  the  rocker,  the  long  tom,  and  other 
crude  gold-saving  devices.  Later,  the  ground  sluice  was  developed,  and 
to  aid  in  the  washing  of  gravel  through  this,  water  was  applied  under 
pressure  with  cotton  and  rubber  hoses  through  nozzles  against  the 
gravel  banks. 

Later,  iron  pipe  was  used  in  place  of  hose,  and  the  nozzle  was 
increased  in  size  and  changed  in  form  until  the  hydraulic  giant  was 
evolved.  From  this  i)oint  on,  the  development  of  hydraulic  mining 
was  very  rapid,  and  in  1876,  when  it  had  obtained  its  maximum  of 
growth,  there  was  over  one  hundred  million  dollars  invested  in  plants, 
equipment,  and  property,  and  the  annual  yield  was  from  eleven  millions 
to  thirteen  millions  of  dollars.  Compared  with  the  fifty  millions  to 
eighty  millions  of  the  annual  yield  before  1857,  this  does  not  seem  very 
large,  but  without  it,  during  the  decade  of  1870  to  1880,  the  annual 
yield  of  California  gold  would  have  been  insignificant. 

In  the  following  resume  free  use  is  made  by  the  author  of  material 
collected  by  him  in  an  article  on  this  subject,  published  in  the  issues  of 
'Mining  and  ►Scientific  Press'  of  San  Francisco  on  December  12  and  19, 
1914. 

While  the  hydraulic  mines  were  flourishing,  the  owners  apparently 
overlooked  the  growth  of  another  industry  which  was  one  day  destined 
to  drive  them  from  their  own  field  by  the  action  of  the  courts.  The 
broad  valleys,  where  the  tributaries  of  the  Sacramento  and  San  Joacjuin 
unite  with  these  streams,  teemed  with  fertility  and  these  rich  farming 
lands  soon  attracted  the  attention  of  immigrant  farmers.  Land,  which 
the  miners  could  originally  have  bought  for  a  song  and  held  as  a  per- 
petual dumping  ground,  steadily  mounted  in  value  and  its  increasing 
productivity  permitted  the  farming  interests  gradually  to  outgrow  the 
mining  in  economic  importance. 

The  accumulation  of  debris  in  the  rivers  was  long  a  source  of  aunoy- 
ance  and  considerable  damage  to  the  farmers.  Even  durinu'  the  days  of 
ground  sluicing,  the  great  flood  in  tlie  winter  of  1862  covered  tlie  richest 
bottom  and  orchard  lands  along  the  Bear  and  Yuba  rivers  with  tons  of 
debris  from  the  gold  washing.  At  this  time,  however,  mining  was 
regarded  as  the  more  legitimate  and  powerful  industry,  and  but  little 
protest  was  made.  As  the  .strength  of  the  agricultural  interests  grew, 
protests  against  the  overloadiug  of  the  rivers  became  more  and  more 
frequent  and  moiv  j)()W<'rful  until  tlie  struggle  (Mdiiiiuated  in  the  famous 
Sawyer  decision  on  January  2'.i,  1884.  This  decision,  in  the  form  of  an 
iujuncticm,  handed  down  by  the  Tnited  States  Circuit  Court,  in  the 
case  of  Edwards  Woodruff  vs.  North  Bloomfield  Gravel  Mining  Com- 


10  CALIFORNIA    STATE    MINING   BUREAU. 

pan])  et  at.,  wiped  out  at  one  blow  property  values  exceeding  one  hun- 
dred million  dollars  and  indefinitely  postponed  the  addition  to  the 
world's  wealth  of  what  has  been  roughly  estimated  at  from  five  hundred 
million  dollars  upwards  in  the  value  of  placer  gold. 

The  Sawyer  decision  was,  however,  but  the  culmination  of  a  long 
struggle.  The  farmers  of  Sutter,  Yuba,  Sacramento,  and  a  few  other 
of  the  valley  counties,  organized  in  the  early  seventies  the  Anti-Debris 
Association,  to  take  their  struggle  into  the  courts.  They  were  opposed 
by  the  once  powerful  California  Miners'  Association,  and  the  struggle 
was  long  and  bitter.  The  story  of  the  fight  from  the  miners'  point  of 
view  Avas  especially  interesting,  and  from  it  one  can  gain  an  idea  of 
the  principles  for  which  each  side  was  contending.  To  that  end,  I 
quote  from  a  circular  issued  by  the  Miners'  Association  on  June  15, 
1883,  which  briefly  reviews  the  then  existing  situation. 

*  *  *  I  deem  it  proper  to  revert  to  the  services  of  this  association  In  tlie  defence 
of  the  mining  industry.  The  first  case  of  importance  was  that  of  Keyes  vs.  Little  York 
and  38  other  defendants,  begun  July  29,  1876.  After  a  long  trial,  wherein  the  best 
legal  and  engineering  talent  was  employed,  a  judgment  was  rendered  against  us. 
We  appealed  the  case  to  the  Supreme  Court  of  California,  where  it  was  reversed  on  a 
point  raised  by  demurrer,   on  the  ground  of  misjoinder  of  parties  defendant. 

The  City  of  Marysville  then  brought  suit  (September  15,  1879)  against  the  North 
Bloomfield  Gravel  Mining  Co.  and  32  other  companies.  They  included  about  200 
other  persons  as  defendants.  The  defendants  appealed  to  the  Supreme  Court  from 
the  injunction  issued  in  that  suit  and  al.so  demurred  and  applied  for  change  of  the 
place  of  trial.  The  motion  was  refused  and  an  appeal  was  taken  to  the  Supreme 
Court,    where   it   is   now  pending. 

*  *  *  Simultaneously  with  above  action  {State  of  California  vs.  Miocene  Mining 
Co.)  the  Attorney  General  commenced  suit  (June  28,  1881)  against  the  Gold  Run 
Mining  Company  of  Placer  County.  Defendants,  through  the  counsel  of  the  association, 
demurred  and  answered.  The  trial  eame  on  in  October,  1881,  and  occupied  the 
court  60  days.  The  presiding  judge  (Temple)  rendered  a  decision  June  12,  1882, 
sustaining  the  injunction,  with  a  qualification  that  on  a  proper  showing  of  the 
construction  of  dams  to  restrain  the  coarse  material  he  would  entertain  a  motion 
to  dissolve  the  injunction.  The  point  raised  on  demurrer  as  to  want  of  authority  of 
the  Attorney  General  to  use  the  name  of  the  State,  was  not  decided,  but  referred  to 
the  Appellate  Court.  Neither  party  fully  acquiesced  in  the  decision.  Defendants 
appealed  to  the  Supreme  Court.  Appeals  were  taken  by  both,  and  the  day  of  argu- 
ment  is  not  yet  set. 

Then  the  County  of  Yuba  sued  the  Excelsior  Water  &  Mining  Co.,  the  Eureka 
Lake  &  Yuba  Canal  Co.  Cons.,  the  Blue  Tent  Consolidated  Hydraulic  Gold  Mines  of 
California.  Ltd.,  and  the  Yuba  River  Gold  Washing  Co.  The  last  had  further 
time  to  plead,  which  is  now  about  expired.  Injunctions  were  issued  in  all  these 
cases,  ex  parte  and  without  notice  to  the  defendants.  Then  came  the  suit  of  the 
County  of  Sutter  vs.  J.  F.  Hickey  et  al.,  commenced  April  14,  1882,  in  the  County 
of  Colusa.  The  defendant's  mine  is  in  Nevada  County.  Also  about  the  same  time  a 
suit  against  the   Birdseye-Creek  Co.   of  Placer   County. 

.  The  last  action  brought  is  that  of  'Sdtcards  Woodruff  vs.  North  Bloomfield  Gravel 
Mining  Co.,  Milton  Mining  tG  Water  Co.  and  some  eight  other  companies.  It  is  sub- 
stantially of  the  same  nature  as  the  others,  praying  for  a  perpetual  injunction. 
Woodruff  being  a  citizen  of  another  state  the  suit  was  brought  in  the  Circuit  Court 
of  the  United  States,  Judge  L.  B.  Sawyer  presidir.g.  Defendants  demurred  on  ground 
of  misjoinder  of  parties  defendant.  The  demurrer  was  argued  by  the  ablest  counsel 
in  the  state,  occupying  the  court  two  weeks,  and  was  overruled.  The  testimony  is 
now  being  taken  before  commissioners  for  the  main  trial  in  September. 

All  of  the  above  actions  have  been  defended  by  the  Miners'  Association,  at  an 
aggregate    expense   of   not   less    than    $200,000. 

The  decision  in  the  case  last  referred  to  may  l)e  quoted  in  its  i)rincipal 
part  as  follows: 

And  that  the  defendants  herein  *  *  *  and  each  and  all  of  their  servants, 
agents  and  employees,  are  perpetually  enjoined  and  restrained  from  discharging  or 
dumping  into  the  Yulia  River,  or  into  any  of  its  forks  or  branches,  or  into  any 
stream  tributary  to  said  river  or  any  of  its  forks  or  branches,  and  especially  into 
Deer  creek.  Sucker  Plat  ravine.  Humbug  creek,  or  Scotchman's  creek,  any  of  the 
tailing,  lioulders,  cobble  stones,  gravel,  sand,  clay,  debris,  or  refuse  matter  from  any 
of  the  tracts  of  mineral  land  or  mines  descril>ed  in  the  complaint.  And  also  from 
causing  or  suffering  to  flow  into  said  rivers,  (rreeks,  or  tributary  streams  aforesaid 
therefrom,  any  of  the  tailing,  boulders,  col)ble  .stones,  gravel,  sand,  clay,  or  refuse 
matter  resulting  or  arising  from  mining  thereon.  And  also,  from  allowing  others 
to  use  the  water  sup))ly  of  said  several  mines  or  mining  claims,  or  an.v  part  thereof, 
for  the  pui-pose  of  washing  into  said  rivers  and  streams,  any  earth,  rode,  boulders, 
cla.v,  sand,  or  solid  material  contained  in  any  placer  or  gravel  ground  or  mine. 
*  *  *  That  the  defendants,  or  either  of  them,  may,  at  any  time  hereafter  applv 
to   this   court,    upon   due   notice    to   the   complaiiuint     *      *     *     f,,i.  a   modification   or 


GOLD    pr.ACEHS    OF    CALIFORNIil.  11 

suspension  of  this  injunction  *  »  *  upon  any  showing  whicli  the  court  may- 
deem  sufficient  tliat  the  conditions  have  been  so  changed  that  (he  discharge  of  such 
mining  debris  by  said  parties  or  party  •  *  *  may  be  resumed  or  otherwise  con- 
ducted, so  as  not  to  create  or  continue  the  nuisance  complained  of,  or  a  nuisance  of 
similar  character,  and  so  as  not  to  injure  or  damage  said  complainant,  or  upon  any 
other  grounds  hereafter  arising  satisfactory  to  the  court.  And  for  the  purposes 
aforesaid,  the  court  hereby  re.serves  the  power  to  modify  or  suspend  said  iniunction 
m  whole  or  m  part,  as  the  exigencies  and  equities  of  the  case  hereafter  arising,  may 
require. 

The  result  of  the  Sawyer  doeisiou  was  far-reai^hin^  in  its  eft'eets.  The 
decree  of  the  court  was  noiiiinalJy  against  the  duni[)ing'  of  the  debris 
into  streams  and  rivers  tributary  to  the  watershed  of  the  Great  Valley ; 
but  in  actual  fact,  hydraulic  mining-  was  permanently  enjoined  in  all 
of  its  major  operations.  The  larger  mines  were  immediately  suspended, 
as  injunction  after  injunction  closed  them  down;  and  property  worth 
millions  Avent  into  disuse  and  decay. 

Many  of  the  smaller  mines,  however,  persisted  in  continuing  opera- 
tions, and  the  Anti-Debris  Association,  composed  of  farmers  of  the 
valley,  carried  on  organized  opposition  to  hydraulic  mining.  Long  and 
costly  litigation  resulted  and  continued  for  years.  As  injunctions 
had  to  be  secured  in  each  and  every  ease,  the  Anti-Debris  Association 
kept  men  in  the  field  securing  evidence,  and  among  the  miners  feeling- 
ran  high  against  these  emissaries  of  the  agricultural  interests. 

Gradually,  however,  the  operators  gave  up  the  struggle.  Thousands 
of  people  were  thrown  out  of  employment,  the  gold  production  of  the 
State  dwindled,  and  property  values  in  the  mountain  counties  were 
decreased  by  millions.  For  about  nine  years  that  condition  continued 
in  spite  of  the  fact  that  the  jNIiners'  Association  used  every  effort  to 
mitigate  the  situation  from  the  standpoint  of  the  miners. 

A  review  of  the  situation,  already  growing  serious  in  1881,  by  the 
iMiners'  Association,  sets  forth  the  losses  resulting  from  the  closing 
down  of  hydraulic  mining  in  very  emphatic  fa.shion.  Following  are 
some  extracts  from  this  review : 

California  has  produced  (1848-1880)  *  *  *  between  $1,100,000,000  and 
$1,200,000,000  of  gold,  of  which  very  much  the  larger  portion  has  come,  either 
directly  or  indirectlj-,  from  the  ancient  or  pliocene  river  channels.  *  »  »  j\s  the 
(surface)  placers  became  exhausted,  the  miners  naturally  turned  their  attention  to 
the  sources  from  which  the  placer  gold  had  been  derived.  Commencing  in  1S.j1.  they 
have  steadily  prosecuted  the  development  and  working  of  the  ancient  river  beds, 
until  the  yield  from  them  amounts  annually  (18S1)  to  a  sum  varying  from  $11,000,000 
to  $13,000,000,  witli  the  prospect  for  many  years  to  come  of  equally  great  returns. 
In  order  to  accomplish  this  result,  the  expenditure  of  large  sums  of  money  has  been 
required  in  building  dams,  canals,  and  tunnels.  The  Bl0(jinfield  and  Milton  com- 
panies afford  a  good  illustration  of  the  large  caiiital  necessary  for  the  successful 
development  of  such  properties.  Work  was  vigorously  commenced  on  the  mines  of 
these  companies  in  1854,  since  when  about  $4,000,000  has  been  expended — all 
representing  capital  account — until  1S78,  when  their  works  were  finally  completed. 
All  this  $4,000,000,  with^  unim.portant  exceptions,  was  furnished  by  stockholders 
resident   in   California. 

We  roughly  estimate  the  present  actual  value  of  these  mines  in  California  to  be 
$80,000,000  ;  adding  to  this  the  property  whose  value  is  dependent  on  the  existence  of 
these  mines,  there  results  a  total  present  value  of  probably  $100,000,000. 

These  statements,  made  in  1881.  show  how  strongly  the  danger  of 
extinction  of  the  hydraulic  mines  was  felt  at  that  time.  They  also 
serve  to  emphasize  what  a  tremendously  important  effect  upon 
the  economic  progress  of  California  hydraulic  mining  has  bad.  To 
continue : 

In  the  early  days  of  placer  mining,  when  there  were  literally  hundreds  of 
thousands  of  miners  washing  the  soil  in  everv  gulch,  ravine,  and  river  of  the  Sierras 
the  aggregate  (luantity  of  material  washed  into  the  rivers  must  have  exceeded  the 
amount  which  l)y  improved,  but  similar  appliances,  is  now  being  placed  in  them 
*  *  *  The  gravel  channels  of  California  have  yielded  in  the  past  nearly 
$1,000,000,000  of  gold,  which  has  been  a  mighty  force  in  bringing  about  the  existing 


12  CALIFORNIA    STATE    MINING  BUREAU. 

prosperity  of  the  civilized  world.  A  still  greater  quantity  remains  in  our  un worked 
but  developed  channels,  ready  for  extraction.  *  *  »  Can  California — can  the 
United  States — suffer  this  great  treasure  to  be  forever  locked  up  in  our  mountains? 

Extent  of  Damage. 

The  State  Engineer  in  January,  1880,  after  detailed  and  careful  examination, 
reported  that  43,546  acres  of  land  had  been  depreciated  in  value  by  the  flow  of  mining 
debris,  with  a  resulting  damage  amounting  to  $2,597,635.  *  *  *  That  the 
Feather  and  Sacramento  rivers  have  been  injured  is  conceded  by  all,  but  we  have  the 
official  statement  of  Captain  Eads — as  competent  an  authority  on  such  matters  as 
can  be  found  in  the  world — that  if  the  flow  of  heavy  sands  is  kept  from  entering 
those  streams,  they  can  easily,  by  proper  treatment,  be  brought  into  excellent  con- 
dition. *  *  *  It  seems  to  be  taken  for  granted  that  we  have  to  deal  with  engi- 
neering problems  more  difficult  of  solution  than  have  before  been  encountered.  This 
is  not  the  case,  for  both  in  France  and  Italy  many  of  the  rivers  carry  larger  quanti- 
ties of  earthy  material,  in  proportion  to  the  water,  than  does  the  Sacramento.  In 
these  countries  no  great  difficulty  has  been  experienced  in  protecting  the  lower  lands 
and  rivers. 

From  the  examinations  and  reports  of  our  engineers,  we  became  satisfied,  several 
years  since,  that  it  was  practicable,  at  a  comparatively  moderate  expense,  safely  to 
store  for  many  years  to  come  all  the  injurious  flow  of  mining  debris  in  the  Yuba, 
Bear,  and  American  rivers  by  forming  reservoirs  by  the  construction  of  brush  and 
stone  dams  in  the  bottoms  and  canons  of  those  streams.  *  *  *  ^j^g  now  famous 
'Debris  Act'  was  strongly  advocated  by  both  miners  and  farmers,  who,  in  that 
measure,  asked  for  state  aid,  so  that  the  necessary  funds  could  be  secured  to  establish 
a  thorough  system  of  protection.  In  this  legislation  the  miners  showed  their  willing- 
ness to  pay  their  full  share  of  the  burden,  by  being  taxed  in  three  different  ways, 
and  much  more  heavily  than  any  other  class.  Under  the  operations  of  this  act  two 
restraining  dams  were  built  in  1880,  one  across  the  Yuba,  and  the  other  across 
Bear  River,  at  a  cost  of  nearly  $200,000.  The  residue  of  the  money  procured  by  the 
taxes  levied  under  the  authority  of  the  act.  amounting  to  some  $2  90,000,  was  spent 
chiefly  in  building  levees,  for  the  purpose  of  confining  the  rivers,  so  that  they 
might,  by  a  scouring  action,  deepen  their  beds. 

The  results  of  the  court  decrees  have  been  stated  above.  For  seven 
or  eight  years  the  industry  was  gradually  paralyzed  by  the  activities  of 
the  Anti-Debris  Association  in  serving  injunctions.  In  the  fall  of  1891 
a  number  of  miners  in  Placer  County  who  had  suffered  from  the  closing 
down  of  the  hydraulic  mines  met  and  decided  to  call  a  county  con- 
vention to  see  whether  anything  could  be  done  to  revive  the  hytlraulic 
mining  industiy.  This  convention  was  called  in  Auburn  with  the  object 
of  formulating  a  plan  for  a  state  miners'  convention  and  memoralizing 
congress  as  to  needed  legislation  for  the  industry.  This  convention  was 
later  called  in  San  Francisco,  and  representatives  of  both  the  mining 
and  farming  interests  were  invited.  The  first  evidence  of  harmony  of 
the  whole  long  and  bitter  .struggle  was  here  made  manifest,  and  a 
common  plan  was  agreed  upon  b.y  both  interests,  which,  although  they 
were  nominally  opposed,  had  liegun  to  realize  that  they  were  inter- 
dependent one  with  the  other. 

The  basis  of  this  agreement  was  the  report  of  the  government  com- 
mission of  engineers.  This  commission  was  appointed  by  a  special  act 
of  congress,  upon  suggestion  of  the  legislature  of  California.  It 
appeared  from  their  report  that  dams  and  other  restraining  works  could 
be  erected  in  many  of  the  canyons  for  the  restraining  of  debris  caused 
by  future  mining  operations,  as  well  as  debris  already  in  the  rivers  from 
former  operations. 

The  convention  of  miners  then  asked  congress  to  accept  and  adopt 
the  report  of  the  commission  and  to  take  steps  at  once  to  put  into 
practical  operation  the  plan  suggested  so  that  mining  might  be  again 
carried  on  under  specified  conditions,  and  the  debris  restrained  froni 
the  rivers  and  farming  lands.  The  re.sult  of  this  was  the  'Caminetti 
Act,'  introduced  into  congress  in  1892,  and  passed  in  1893.  It  is  under 
the  provisions  of  this  act  that  whatever  hydraulic  mining  has  been  done 
in  the  restricted  area  of  the  State  from  1893  until  the  present  day 
has  been  carried  on.    Certain  provisions  of  this  act,  however,  appear  to 


GOLD   PLACERS   OF    CALIFORNIA.  13 

liave  been  overlooked,  and  it  is  under  these  provisions  that  the  present 
plan  for  the  control  of  hydraulic  niinijis"  debris  has  been  worked  out  and 
is  now  presented. 

The  provisions  of  this  act  are,  essentially,  as  follows:  A  counnission  is 
created,  known  as  the  California  Debris  Connnis-sion,  consisting  of  three 
officers  of  the  Engineer  Corps  of  the  United  States  Armj',  appointed  by 
the  President  of  the  United  States,  with  the  advice  and  the  consent  of 
the  senate.  The  jurisdiction  of  this  commission,  in  so  far  as  hydraulic 
mining  is  concerned,  extends  over  the  territory  di'ained  by  the  Sacra- 
mento and  San  Joaquin  river  systems.  Hydraulic  mining  which 
directly  or  indirectly  injures  the  navigability  of  these  river  systems 
is  prohibited  and  declared  unlawful. 

It  is  the  duty  of  this  commission  to  make  examinations  and  surveys, 
which  will  improve  the  rivers  and  insure  them  against  damage  due 
to  mining  debris,  natural  erosion,  or  other  causes,  with  a  view  of  restor- 
ing the  navigability  of  these  rivers  to  the  condition  existing  in  1860, 
and  perniitting  Itydraidic  mining  to  he  carried  on,  provided  the  same 
ea7i  he  accomplished  without  injury  to  the  navigahility  of  said  rivers 
or  injury  to  the  lands  adjacent  thereto. 

The  commission  is  charged  with  the  making  of  examinations  and 
surveys  of  storage  sites  in  the  tributaries  of  these  rivers,  or  in  the  plains, 
basins,  and  swamp  lands  adjacent  to  their  courses,  for  the  storage  of 
debris  or  water,  with  the  object  of  aiding  in  the  improvement  and  pro- 
tection of  the  rivers  by  preventing  the  deposition  of  debris  resulting 
from  mining  operations,  natural  erosion,  or  other  causes,  or  for  afford- 
ing relief  in  flood  time  and  providing  sufficient  water  to  maintain  a 
scouring  force  in  the  dry  season.  In  addition  to  this,  they  are  charged 
with  making  a  study  of  the  hydraulic  mining  industry,  and  such 
research  as  science  and  engineering  skill  may  suggest  as  practicable  in 
devising  a  method  whereby  sucJi  mining  may  he  carried  on. 

The  commission  takes  note  of  the  condition  of  the  navigable  channels 
and  makes  its  report  to  the  chief  of  engineers  annually,  with  plans  for 
the  construction  of  the  works  outlined  in  this  act,  together  with 
estimates  of  the  costs  thereof. 

The  owners  and  operators  of  hydraulic  mines  are  required  by  law  to 
comply  strictly  with  the  regulations  of  this  commission  under  an 
extreme  penalty  of  five  thousand  dollars  fine  and  one  year's  imprison- 
ment. In  all  cases  a  license  or  written  permission  from  the  commission 
must  be  obtained  before  hydraulic  mining  can  be  legally  carried  on. 
These  licenses  are  revocable  by  the  commission  and  Avill  not  be  given 
unless  their  requirements  as  to  restraining  barriers  or  dams  are  com- 
plied with,  and  unless  these  dams  are  properly  maintained,  and  all 
information  asked  for  by  the  commission  is  at  all  times  forthcoming. 
Licenses  may  be  revoked  ar])itrarily  by  the  counnission. 

Hydraulic  mining  is  declared  by  the  act  to  have  the  meaning  and 
application  customarily  given  in  the  State  of  California.  This  term 
embraces  all  mining  operations  where  water  is  used  under  pressure 
through  a  nozzle  against  any  l)ank  of  earth,  gi'avel,  or  similar  material, 
thus  eroding  the  bank. 

Plans  and  specifications  for  the  building  of  all  restraining  works  are 
submitted  for  the  approval  of  the  commission,  and  the  work  is  carried 
on  under  its  supervision.    If  the  commission  is  of  the  opinion  that  these 


14  CALIFORNIA    STATE    MINING   BUREAU. 

rest  raining  dams  arc  sufficient  to  pi'oteet  the  navigable  rivers  from 
encroachment  by  debris,  the  owner  of  a  mine  is  permitted  to  commence 
operations. 

In  the  case  of  an  impounding-  dam  restraining  tlie  debris  from 
several  properties,  tlie  commission  fixes  the  charge  for  the  privilege  of 
dumping  therein.  The  expense  of  maintaining  such  dams  or  works  is 
provided  for  by  this  charge.  The  amount  of  debris  which  can  be 
waslied  is  not  permitted  to  exceed  the  amount  which  can  be  impounded 
within  the  restraining  works  erected.  The  commission  may  at  any  time 
modify  its  orders  or  revoke  the  privilege  to  mine.  Any  intentional' viola- 
tion of  its  orders  automatically  works  a  forfeiture  of  the  privileges 
conferred. 

The  commission  is  empowered  to  erect  dams  for  the  retention  of 
mining  dehris  out  of  a  fund  provided  for  this  purpose  hy  a  tax  of  three 
per  cent  on  the  gross  proceeds  of  hydraulic  mining  operations.  This 
fund  is  denominated  the  dehris  fund,  to  he  expended  hy  the  commission 
in  addition  to  appropnaiions  made  hy  law  in  the  constructimi  and 
maintenance  of  such  restraining  works  and  settling  reservoirs  as  may 
he  proper  and  necessary. 

In  work  done  by  the  United  States  and  the  State  of  California  jointly, 
the  commission  is  empowered  to  consult  with  the  state  engineers,  and 
the  result  of  their  findings,  if  approved  by  the  chief  of  engineers  of 
the  United  States  Army,  is  followed  by  the  said  commission.  The  com- 
mission is  directed  and  empowered,  when  sut¥icient  money  is  deposited 
in  the  debris  fund,  to  build  at  points  above  the  head  of  navigation  in 
the  said  rivers  and  their  branches  such  restraining  or  impounding 
dams  as  may  be  required  to  effect  the  object  of  clearing  the  rivers  for 
navigation. 

Licenses  to  mine,  under  the  Caniinetti  Act,  are  not  transferable  and 
are  valid  only  for  the  operations  of  the  special  individual,  company, 
and  propertj'  named  in  the  license.  An  application  for  license  must  be 
advertised  in  the  newspapers  to  allow  any  protests  to  be  filed  with  the 
commission.  After  the  sites  proposed  for  restraining  works  have  l)een 
approved  by  the  commission,  authority  is  given  for  the  construction 
of  the  barrier  or  dam,  together  with  specifications  for  the  work.  Any 
variation  in  location  or  change  in  character  of  the  work  from  that 
specified  by  the  commission  may  cause  rejection  of  the  dam.  After 
satisfactory  inspection  of  the  completed  work  by  the  commission,  a 
revocable  license  to  mine  is  issued.  Until  this  license  is  issued,  it  is 
illegal  to  mine.  -  A¥hen  mining  is  begun,  monthly  reports  must  be  sub- 
mitted to  the  commission,  and  in  case  of  any  accident  to  the  barrier, 
mining  must  cease  at  once  and  the  commission  be  promptly  notified. 

When  a  dam  becomes  full  of  debris,  mining  must  cease  until  more 
impounding  capacity  is  provided,  either  by  raising  the  dam  or  the 
construction  of  new  works.  This  work  must  be  inspected  and  approved 
by  the  commission.  Dams  must  be  kept  water-tight,  and  a  pool  at  least 
two  feet  deep  must  be  maintained  as  a  settling  basin  while  mining  is 
in  progress. 

While  the  above  is  not  the  wording  of  the  Caminetti  Act  exactly, 
it  is,  in  effect,  an  abstract  of  the  conditions  necessary  for  the  hydraulic 
miner,  in  any  of  the  drainage  areas  affected,  to  observe  in  order  to 
continue  operations  within  the  law.     The  power  of  the  Commission  is 


GOLD   PLACERS   OF    CALIFORNL\.  15 

arbitrary.  This  is,  of  course,  necessary  for  the  efficiency  of  the  act ; 
but  it  seems  a  necessary  corollary  that  the  men  to  Avhom  this  arbitrary 
power  is  entrusted  should  be  thoroughly  familiar  with  the  conditions 
governing  the  work  which  they  control. 

The  area  embraced  under  the  provisions  of  the  Caminetti  Act  includes 
all  of  the  country  drained  l)y  the  Sacramento  and  San  Joaquin  rivers 
and  their  tributaries.  In  the  northern  portion  of  the  State,  tributary 
to  the  Klamath  river  system,  hydraulic  mining  has  been  carried  on 
unrestricted,  owing  to  the  extreme  grade  of  the  rivers  and  compara- 
tively small  area  of  agricultural  land  along  their  banks. 

As  a  result  of  the  lack  of  restrictions  in  this  area,  hydraulic  mining 
is  already  within  sight  of  its  natural  end,  due  to  the  exhaustion  of 
profitable  ground. 

The  passage  of  the  Caminetti  Act  aroused  great  expectations  in  the 
mountain  counties.  It  was  regarded  as  the  successful  termination  of  a 
long  and  bitter  struggle  between  the  mining  and  agricultural  interests 
of  the  State.  The  general  idea  among  the  miners  was  that  their  former 
prosperity  and  flourishing  condition  would  be  in  a  measure  restored. 
It  was  not  expected  that  mining  would  be  conducted  on  the  same  scale 
as  before  the  restrictive  measures  were  adopted ;  but  it  was  hoped  that 
two  or  three  millions  a  year  would  be  addecl  to  the  decreasing  gold  pro- 
duction of  the  State.  In  the  course  of  a  mucli  longer  period  of  time,  it 
was  expected  that  more  than  five  hundred  millions  of  dollars  still 
locked  up  in  the  Sierras  would  be  added  to  the  wealth  of  the  country. 
Another  cause  for  congratulation  was  that  the  conditions  governing 
the  passage  of  the  act  showed  that  the  miners  and  farmers  of  the  State 
would  act  harmoniously  and  cooperate  for  the  general  good.  As  the 
act  was  passed  for  the  purpose  of  reviving  the  mining  industry,  it  was 
rightly  expected  that  the  Debris  Commission  would  not  assume  an 
attitude  that  was  either  hostile  or  suspicious  of  the  good  faith  of  the 
miners. 

And  indeed  this  seemed  to  be  the  case.  The  members  of  the  Debris 
Commission  bent  every  effort  to  serving  the  best  interests  of  the  State. 
While  friendly  toward  the  mining  interests,  there  was  still  no  partiality 
shown  at  any  point  where  their  interests  seemed  contrary  to  the  general 
good  of  the  commonwealth.  With  this  attitude,  the  miners  Avere  well 
content,  and  a  certain  amount  of  work  was  resumed.  Restraining 
barriers  were  built  in  conformance  with  the  act,  and  for  a  time  it 
seemed  that  all  was  well. 

But  this  condition  was  not  permanent.  Changes  came  in  the  Debris 
Commission,  as  was  natural  in  a  body  composed  of  army  officers,  in 
accordance  with  the  exigencies  of  the  service.  New  men  came  in, 
unfamiliar  with  the  requirements  of  the  mining  industry,  and  were 
inclined  to  regard  it  as  somewhat  of  a  trespasser. 

In  addition,  the  Anti-Debris  Association,  like  many  another  body  orig- 
inally organized  for  a  worthy  purpose,  when  its  purpose  was  accom- 
plished, speedily  degenerated.  The  employment  of  scouts,  or  'spies'  as 
the  miners  were  disposed  to  call  them,  was  perhaps  the  first  branch 
of  the  activities  of  the  a.ssociation  to  show  decadence.  Petty  graft  crept 
in,  and  men  who  were  disposed  to  pay  for  the  privilege  of  working 
unrestrained,  especially  if  the  property  in  question  were  out  of  the  way 
and  inaccessible  to  the  officers  of  the  Debris  Commission,  found  out 

2— 2S603 


16  CALIFORNIA    STATE    MINING   BUREAU. 

that  it  was  very  easy  to  avoid  complaints.  Oii  the  other  hand,  men  who 
operated  in  fjood  faith  under  the  law,  if  they  did  not  pay  tribute  to 
certain  individuals,  found  tlienisolves  subjected  to  continual  annoyance 
and   complaint. 

This  does  not  in  any  way  reflect  on  the  membership  of  the  Debris 
Commission.  Composed  as  it  is  of  officei-s  of  the  United  States  Army, 
they  are  above  any  suspicion  of  connivance.  On  the  other  hand,  they 
Avork  at  considerable  disadvantage.  In  the  first  place,  they  serve  with- 
out extra  pay,  and  while  the  service  is  given  wholeheartedly,  their 
duties  in  connection  with  river  and  harbor  work  are  so  exacting  and 
onerous  that  they  must  of  necessity  work  in  part  on  hearsay  evidence 
in  deciding  where  to  conduct  their  investigations.  Complaints  filed  by 
the  Anti-Debris  Association  l)eing  their  j^rincipal  source  of  information, 
it  followed  that  the  latter  body  had  a  certain  amount  of  influence,  and 
its  petty  influence  was  embarrassing.  Add  to  this  the  fact  that  as  soon 
as  a  man  had  served  long  enough  on  the  Debris  Commission  to  gain  a 
practical  idea  of  the  work  of  the  miners,  he  was  apt  to  be  transferred  to 
another  post,  and  it  is  readily  seen  that  the  efficiency  of  the  Commis- 
sion's work  was  subject  to  continual  disturbance. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  California  Miners'  Association,  which  for 
many  years  was  the  most  powerful  backer  of  the  hydraulic  miners, 
became,  with  the  development  of  the  quartz  interests,  less  interested 
in  the  matter,  and  devoted  itself  to  the  more  'legitimate'  forms  of 
mining.  Thus  the  hj'draulie  miner  was  left  in  the  lurch,  with  the  result 
that  instead  of  the  tens  of  millions  which  were  formerly  annually  pro- 
duced, and  instead  of  the  millions  which  should  now  be  produced,  the 
present-day  production  of  hydraulic  mines  in  the  Sierra  region  is  now 
figured  in  a  few  tbousands  of  dollars. 

The  loss  to  the  State,  under  present  conditions,  is  tremendous.  In  the 
first  place,  it  has  been  computed  by  competent  authorities  that  the  loss 
due  to  the  closing  of  the  mines  from  1884  to  1893  was  about  fifty 
million  dollars  in  income.  From  1893  to  the  present  day,  it,  of  course, 
greatly  exceeds  this  figure.  The  actual  physical  loss  in  properties  may 
be  estimated  from  the  fact  that  at  the  time  of  the  Sawyer  injunction, 
there  were  in  the  State  about  5225  miles  of  ditch,  l)uilt  at  an  estimated 
cost  of  $3,800  per  mile,  including  cost  of  reservoirs.  This  represents  an 
investment  of  about  twenty  million  dollars.  Investment  in  equipment 
in  the  various  hydraulic  mines  of  the  State  total  another  twenty  million 
dollars.  The  value  of  the  gravels  themselves,  judging  from  the  figures 
at  which  they  were  assessed,  was  about  sixty  million  dollars.  This  value 
has  been  practically  wiped  out.  As  a  result,  it  may  be  said  that  at  one 
blow  the  Sawyer  decision  reduced  the  visible  assets  of  the  State  of 
California  by  one  hundred  million  dollars. 

The  loss  to  the  farmers  and  merchants  of  the  State  may  be  fairly 
calculated  as  follows:  At  the  time  of  the  closing  down  of  the  hydraulic 
mines,  their  annual  yield  was  about  five  million  three  hundred  thou.sand 
dollars.  The  cost  of  supplies  and  labor  in  the  production  of  this  amount 
was  between  three  and  four  millions  of  dollars.  Fifty  per  cent  of  this 
was  in  the  form  of  supplies  directly  furni.shed  by  the  farmers  of  the 
valley  adjacent  to  the  mining  region.  The  merchants  of  Sacramento, 
]\Iarysville,  Oroville,  and  other  distributing  centers,  derived  consider- 
able benefit  from  the  handling  of  the  supplies  consumed  by  the  miners, 


GOLD   PLACERS   OF    CALIFORNLi.  17 

but  the  cuttiug  off  of  this  market  affected  many  of  them  to  the  point  of 
bankruptcy.  In  the  mountain  towns,  whole  connnunities  of  several 
thousand  inhabitants  were  reduced  to  villages,  and  in  many  cases  entire 
communities  were  wiped  out.  This  resulted  in  the  depopulation  of  the 
mining  counties,  and  a  depreciation  in  assessa])le  values  from  which  they 
have  never  recovered. 

In  addition  to  the  above-mentioned  losses,  there  was  a  potential  loss, 
which  far  exceeds  all  of  the  others  put  together,  and  Avhich  directly 
affected  the  prosperity  of  the  State  of  California  during  the  last  forty 
years,  and  still  continues  to  affect  it  adversely.  According  to  the  figures 
of  the  Reclamation  Service  of  the  United  States  Geological  Survey, 
there  are  about  800,000  acres  of  unclaimed  swamp  lands  in  the  Great 
Valley  of  California.  If  the  silt  and  finer  gravel  sent  down  by  the 
miners  had  been  diverted  to  the  reclamation  of  this  land,  and  if  the 
boulders  and  lighter  material  had  been  restrained  from  the  rivers  by 
the  construction  of  restraining  dams,  under  the  provisions  of  the 
Caminetti  Act,  the  rivers  themselves  in  cutting  down  to  their  old  grades 
would  have  reclaimed  a  large  proportion  of  these  now  worthless  swamp 
lands.  The  actual  value  of  the  lands,  which  are  possible  of  reclamation 
by  an  intelligent  handling  of  our  river  and  debris  problems,  exceeds, 
at  a  modest  estimate,  one  hundred  millions  of  dollars. 

The  reclamation  of  these  lands  will  result  in  the  addition  of  a  per- 
manent a.sset  to  the  resources  of  the  State  of  California,  which  will  be  of 
tremendous  value.  As  a  heritage  to  future  generations,  these  lands, 
when  reclaimed,  will  support  a  population  almost  equal  to  the  present 
population  of  the  State.  Their  productive  capacity  is  equal  to  that  of 
the  richest  land  now  existing  in  the  State  if  they  are  properly  drained 
and  re-soiled  with  the  light  debris  which  passes  over  the  restraining 
dams  built  in  the  higher  reaches  of  the  rivers.  So  far  from  being  a 
menace  to  the  fanner,  a  quotation  from  a.  resolution,  passed  by  the 
directors  of  the  irrigation  district  of  Oakdale  in  May,  1919,  will 
indicate  how  beneficial  this  silt  is  to  the  lands  whose  fertility  has  been 
exhausted. 

The  resolutions  state  that  instead  of  the  silt  from  tlie  rivers  injuring 
the  district,  it  has  been  highly  beneficial,  the  debris  from  the  river 
having  already  greatly  enriched  the  soil.  They  state  that  investigations 
have  disclosed  that  irrigation  from  the  silt-laden  river,  ])elow  the 
Goodwin  dam,  has  actually  built  up  fertile  soil  by  depositing  the  silt 
that  came  down  the  river  on  the  land  and  giving  it  body,  as  well  as 
fertility. 

In  another  district,  near  Turlock,  the  former  chief  engineer,  Mr.  Bur- 
ton Smith,  stated  that  land  that  would  not  even  grow  sunflowers  w'hen 
the  district  was  organized,  now  produces  enormous  crops.  Experts 
ascribe  this  to  the  silt  deposit  on  the  soil  from  the  rivers. 

The  above  instances  are  cited  from  many  which  have  come  to  the 
writer's  notice  since  the  organization  of  irrigation  districts  in  the  Great 
Valley  of  California. 

In  restraining  the  operations  of  hydraulic  mining,  the  need  of  a 
training  in  the  principles  of  the  industry  would  seem  to  be  as  necessary 
as  in  the  actual  operation  of  the  mines  themselves.  Tlie  building  of 
satisfactory  dams,  the  recognition  of  the  principles  controlling  the 
transportation  of  sand  and  clay,  as  well  as  light  gravel  in  tho  material 


18  CALIFORNIA    STATE   MINING   BUREAU. 

being  worked,  are  all  factors  which  should  l)e  takeii  into  account.  The 
principal  factor  of  all,  however,  and  one  which  under  the  present  law, 
is  a  burden  resting  altogether  on  the  hydraulic  miner,  is  the  natural 
erosion  caused  by  the  intermittent  iiooding  of  the  streams  from  the 
torrential  storms  of  the  Sierras.  The  denudation  of  our  forests  and  the 
increased  cultivation  of  the  Sierra  foothills  have  increased  the  volume 
of  material  borne  into  the  rivers  from  this  source  by  several  hundred 
per  cent. 

The  work  of  regulation  requires  all  the  time  tliat  can  be  given  to  it 
by  a  body  of  men  specially  assigned  for  this  purpose,  if  arbitrary 
restrictions  are  to  be  removed.  There  is  absolutely  no  reason  why 
several  times  the  present  number  of  hydraulic  mines  in  the  Sierran 
counties  should  not  be  in  active  operation,  so  far  as  the  damage  done 
by  debris  is  concerned. 

A  factor  wdiich  has  tended  to  curtail  the  operation  of  hydraulic 
mines  has  been  the  increasing  use  of  water  for  power  and  irrigation 
purposes,  as  w^ell  as  its  use  for  domestic  supply  for  various  towns.  There 
is  no  question  but  that  the  power  interests  have  grown  to  a  position  of 
great  importance,  as  well  as  have  the  irrigation  systems;  nevertheless, 
there  is  in  this  fact  no  need  for  conflict.  During  from  four  to  six 
months  of  the  year,  the  streams  of  the  Sierras  carry  an  excess  volume 
of  water,  which  all  the  storage  systems  yet  devised  or  likely  to  be 
devised  for  some  time,  can  not  contain.  This  w'ater,  or  a  small  portion 
of  it,  is  wdiat  the  miners  w^ould  conserve,  and  instead  of  running  otf 
during  the  months  of  April  and  May,  it  would  be  held  back  and  turned 
into  the  rivers  during  the  months  of  July  and  August,  when  it  is  most 
needed. 

The  conditions  which  confront  the  hydraulic  miner  today,  in  spite 
of  the  relief  supposed  to  be  afforded  by  the  Caminetti  Act,  are  such 
that  the  industry  is  nearly  defunct.  The  remedy  for  this  state  of 
affairs  is  simple  and  should  be  applied;  it  means  the  increasing  of 
California's  gold  production  in  the  neighborhood  of  five  million  dollars 
a  year  for  the  next  one  hundred  years  or  over,  and  the  restoration  of  a 
portion  of  their  former  wealth  to  the  mountain  counties  of  the  State. 

In  a  publication  of  the  United  States  Geological  Survey,  entitled  *  The 
Transportation  of  Debris  by  Running  Water,'  there  are  some  very 
interesting  statements.  In  speaking  of  the  flow^  of  the  Yuba  Eiver  and 
its  suspended  load  in  1879,  when  that  stream  was  at  its  flood  and  when 
hydraulic  mining  was  being  carried  on,  the  following  results  were 
noted :  When  the  discharge  w- as  26,000  cubic  feet  per  second,  a  load  of 
0.35  per  cent  by  weight  was  noted ;  when  the  discharge  was  18,000  cubic 
feet  per  second,  the  load  was  0.42  per  cent.  At  low  water  in  the  same 
year,  when  the  discharge  was  510  cubic  feet  per  second,  a  load  of 
0.86  per  cent  was  noted.  The  fact  that  the  river's  load  is  greater  in 
proportion  during  low  water  is  explained  by  the  fact  that  the  turbid 
tributaries  of  the  river  are  less  diluted  with  the  clearer  water  from 
other  tributaries.  From  these  results  it  will  be  noted  that  a  decrease 
of  97  per  cent  in  volume  brought  about  an  increase  of  virtually  150 
per  cent  in  the  proportionate  load. 

On  the  other  hand,  in  1906,  when  most  of  the  hydraulic  mining  was 
suspended,  with  a  discharge  of  33,000  feet,  the  load  was  0.65  per  cent. 
If  the  increase  in  load  is  at  all  times  regular  for  large  volumes  (which 


GOLD   PLACERS   OP    CALIFORNLV.  19 

appears  a  Avarrantable  assumption),  the  suspended  load  for  a  volume  of 
18,000  feet,  the  same  as  in  1879,  would  have  been  about  0.13  per  cent, 
or  about  one-third  of  what  it  was  at  the  time  when  hydraulic  mines 
Avere  working  at  capacity.  In  other  words,  the  volume  of  debris  carried 
down  by  natural  erosion  was,  when  the  mines  were  mostly  shut  down, 
about  one-third  as  much  as  when  they  were  working  full  blast.  As  con- 
ditions of  stream  bed  and  other  factors  were  in  1879  more  favorable  to 
debris  suspension  than  in  1906,  and  as  the  amount  of  intensive  farming 
in  the  Sierra  foothills  has  vastly  increased  since  1906,  and  the  area  of 
deforestation  has  proportionately  increased,  there  is  reason  to  assume 
that  the  volume  of  material  annually  borne  into  our  rivers  by  natural 
erosion  is  nearly  as  large  as  the  amount  formerly  carried  into  the  rivers 
by  hydraulic  mining  under  the  old  conditions. 

The  fact  that  at  low  water  the  percentage  of  debris  transported  is  so 
much  less  than  it  might  be  calculated  to  be  is,  of  course,  explained  by 
the  deposition  of  debris  by  the  feeble  currents  and  consequent  shoalina' 
of  the  river. 

Returning  again  to  official  statements,  we  find  the  following  in  tlie 
report  of  the  Debris  Commissioner,  from  May,  1901,  to  December,  1902 : 

The  debris  flow  has  caused  the  destruction  of  thousands  of  acres  of  fertile  farms 
and  the  serious  impairment  of  navigable  rivers.  Its  attempted  solution  by  injunctions 
by  the  courts  has  resultfd  in  the  destruction  of  a  profitable  industry  of  the  state — 
that  of  hydraulic  mining.  Although  many  reports  have  been  made  on  the  subject, 
there  are  certain  features  that  have  not  been  given  due  weight  because  the  various 
investigators  were  not  in  touch  with  the  actual  conditions  le;iding  to  the  debris  flow. 
It  is  this  lack  of  knowledge  that  has  in  a  great  measure  retarded  its  solution  in 
the  past.  Careful  consideration  by  those  most  interested  will  show  that  there  is 
common  ground  to  stand  on,  and  it  is  hoped  that  it  will  lead  to  a  'community  of 
interests'  that  is  so  necessary  to  hasten   the  much-needed  work.      *      *      * 

The  California  Debris  Commission  in  1894.  from  the  result  of  borings  made  by 
Col.  W.  H.  Heuer.  placed  the  amount  of  debris  from  Mary.sville  to  Daguerre  Point,  a 
distance  of  9i  miles,  at  308,000,000  cubic  yards,  and  estimated  100,000,000  cubic 
yards  more  to  the  Smartsville  dumps,  or  a  total  of  408,000,000  cubic  yards.  I  am  of 
the  opinion  *  *  *  600,000,000  cubic  yards  are  deposited  within  this  area.  Of 
this  amount  there  were  deposited  *  *  *  during  the  period  1879-1899,  *  *  * 
a  total  of  100,550.000  cubic  yards.  This  repre.sents  the  cleaning  of  the  canons, 
the  washing   of  the  hydraulic   and  other   mines,   and   from   natural   causes. 

During  the  past  eight  years,  I  have  endeavored  to  determine  what  the  relative 
erosion  was  on  Deer  creek.  *  *  *  In  the  years  gone  by  there  was  in  this 
water.shed,  considerable  hydraulic  mining,  which  is  now  practically  abandoned.  The 
dumps  have  been  so  cut  and  carried  away  as  not  to  affect  the  winter  flow.  Altogether 
it  can  fairly  be  considered  average  conditions  for  natural  erosion  on  the  watershed. 
On  January  3  and  4.  1895,  there  fell  7. OS  inches  of  rain  in  2-3J  hours.  The  creek 
was  very  high  and  muddy.  The  percentage  of  the  silt  was  determined  and  a  rough 
gaging  of  the  flow  made.  After  making  liberal  deductions  for  safety  it  was 
found  that  the  creek  carried  8G,000  cubic  yards  of  material  past  the  town  in  twenty- 
four  hours.  Two-thirds  of  this,  by  weight,  may  be  counted  as  sand,  being  the 
mean  of  a  number  of  observations  and  checked  by  comparison  of  the  composition 
of  soils.  At  that  time  the  E.xcelsior  Water  and  Mining  Company  was  hydraulicking 
at  Smartsville.  impounding  the  debris  in  a  worked-out  pit.  It  is  one  of  the  largest 
concerns  operating  under  the  California  Debris  Commission.  Yet  that  storm  sent 
down  more  material  In  one  day  than  the  Excelsior  Company  mined  in  six  weeks — 
boulders,    cobble,    gravel,    sand,    and    'slickens.' 

The  point  to  be  emphasized  is  that  with  a  .system  of  building  restrain- 
ing dams  and  allowinfr  operation  until  they  are  tilled  up,  the  gravel 
miner  takes  upini  himself  the  burden  of  restrainin.ir  the  natural  erosion 
of  the  elements. 

liy  a  study  of  the  mai)s  of  tlic  Tuitcd  States  Geological  Survey,  it 
will  be  noted  that  the  principal  Cretaceous  and  Tertiary  gravels  of  the 
State  will  be  found  to  be  in  tlie  counties  of  Sierra,  Plumas,  Nevada, 
Placer,  and  El  Dorado.  Amador,  Calaveras,  Tuolumne,  and  Mariposa 
contain  but  small  quantities  of  gravel,  comj^ared  to  the  immense  bodies 
of  the  Slate  Creek  district  or  the  San  Juan  Kidge,  or  the  Quaker  Hill, 
Ked  Dog,  (lold  Run  and  Dutch  Plat  region. 


20  CALIFORNIA    STATE    MINING   BUREAU. 

During  the  early  days  of  the  industry,  work  Avas  mainly  confined  to 
the  lighter  surface  gravels,  and  it  is  from  these  that  most  of  the 
mining  debris  has  come.  The  gravel  that  it  is  desired  to  work  at  the 
present  day,  is  as  a  whole  much  heavier  in  character.  In  gravel  of  this 
type,  where  dumping  is  not  done  directly  in  the  rivers,  but  upon  bars 
adjacent  to  them,  it  may  be  safely  estimated  that  from  75  to  80  per  cent 
of  the  entire  material  stays  on  the  original  dump  or  within  a  few 
hundred  feet  therefrom.  The  finer  material  and  the  sand  goes  down  the 
river  to  the  restraining  dams  with  the  exception  of  what  settles  between 
the  boulders  on  the  dumps.  For  this  reason,  it  may  be  made  as  a  fairly 
general  statement,  covering  three-quarters  of  the  Cretaceous  and  Ter- 
tiary channels  in  the  Sierras  at  the  present  day,  that  not  more  than 
from  20  to  25  per  cent  of  the  washed  material  will  come  within  the  field 
of  the  restraining  dams. 

Another  point  can  here  be  made,  which  illustrates  again  the  principle 
of  community  of  interest.  Of  late  years  the  destruction  of  valuable 
farming  land  by  gold  dredging  operations,  has  been  the  subject  of  a 
c'oocl  deal  of  unfavorable  comment.  The  dredging  industry  of  Cali- 
fornia is  dying  a  natural  death,  and  there  remains  little  available 
ground  of  economic  value  for  dredging  purposes.  However,  as  a  result 
of  operations  already  completed,  there  are  in  California  large  areas  of 
once  fertile  farming  and  orchard  ground  which  have  been  reduced  to  a 
series  of  unsightly  boulder  piles.  In  Australia,  the  necessity  of  reclaim- 
ing the  damaged  lands  was  long  recognized,  with  the  result  that  in 
farming  communities  the  gold  dredgers  were  forced  at  considerable 
expense  to  reclaim  the  land  behind  them  by  pumping  sand  and  silt 
back  on  top  of  the  boulder  piles.  In  the  report  of  the  Secretary  of 
Mines,  Victoria,  Series  1907-1913,  detailed  descriptions  of  the  methods 
adopted,  accompanied  by  photographs,  are  given.  The  expense  involved 
in  reclaiming  was  borne  by  the  dredging  companies,  and  notwithstand- 
ing the  value  of  the  reclaimed  land,  profits  were  enormously  decreased. 
Naturally  the  American  companies  were  loath  to  follow  their  example, 
with  the  result  that  certain  sections  of  the  State,  notably  the  district 
around  Oroville,  remained  an  eyesore  to  the  beholder.  As  everybody 
who  has  been  in  the  dredging  fields  knows,  these  uneven  and  irregular 
gravel  heaps  can  be  leveled,  though  at  considerable  expense,  but  getting 
a  top  soil  upon  them  is  another  matter.  It  requires  the  use  of  suction 
pumps  to  bring  up  the  sand  and  silt  from  the  river  beds.  The  con- 
struction of  a  few  barriers  in  the  lower  rivers  to  restrain  such  fine 
material  as  may  be  carried  over  the  debris  dams,  would  bring  about  the 
reclamation  of  not  only  the  dredged  areas,  but  a  very  considerable  acre- 
age of  barren  ground  adjacent.  A  few  suction  dredges  stationed  in  such 
places  as  on  the  Yuba  River  near  Hammonton,  and  on  the  Feather 
River  below  Oroville,  and  behind  barriers  such  as  the  one  at  Daguerre 
Point,  could  handle  all  of  the  excess  material  that  comes  over  the  debris 
dams  and  is  deposited  where  the  rivers  lessen  their  grades. 

In  discussing  the  effects  of  natural  erosion  on  the  rivers  of  California, 
it  may  be  noted  that  in  1897,  it  was  estimated  that  the  debris  in  the 
Sacramento  Drainage  System  totaled  1,529.000,000  yards.  The  total 
amount  of  de])ris  originally  deposited  in  the  rivers,  including  the  slick- 
ens  carried  oft'  and  deposited  in  the  Bay  Region,  was  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  3,000,000,000  yards.    The  proportion  of  this  debris,  which  may 


GOLD  PLACERS  OF  CALIFORNIA.  21 

be  laid  at  the  door  of  the  miners  for  operations,  between  1860  and  1881, 
is  calculated  liberally  at  650,000,000  enl)ic  yards.  This  is  only  21  per 
cent  of  the  amount  of  material  deposited  in  the  rivers  between  1849  and 
1897.  The  balance  of  this  debris  may  be  charged  to  the  increased 
area  brought  under  cultivation  by  the  farmers  in  the  foothills ;  and  the 
operations  of  the  lumber  companies  in  the  mountains,  which  resulted  in 
the  deforestation  of  large  areas  in  the  sierras.  Among  other  causes, 
the  erosion  brought  about  by  cattle  and  sheep  and  hy  ordinary  road  and 
trail  traffic,  are  contributory.  It  is  estimated  that  the  seven  thousand 
miles  of  road  in  this  area,  worn  down  two  feet  in  dt'pth,  would  deposit 
twenty  million  cubic  yards  of  material. 

These  figures  are  further  borne  out  by  computation  made  in  Italy  on 
the  Po  River.  There  is  no  hydraulic  mining  in  the  drainage  of  this 
river,  and  there  never  has  been.  Its  drainage  area  is  approximately  the 
same  as  that  of  the  Sacramento.  Through  natural  erosion  alone,  i^  dis- 
charges 56,000,000  cubic  yards  of  material  annually  into  the  ocean. 

To  'carry  out  any  readjustments  of  the  prol)lem  of  debris  control, 
certain  radical  changes  would  have  to  be  made.  It  is  suggested  that  in 
order  to  do  full  justice  to  all  of  the  interests  concerned,  the  work  should 
be  under  the  control,  not  only  of  the  Debris  Commission,  composed  of 
officers  of  the  United  States  Army,  but  also  of  a  debris  commission  of 
experienced  engineers,  permanently  appointed  l)y  the  State  of  Cali- 
fornia. This  is  in  accordance  with  the  provisions  of  the  Caminetti  Act. 
Further,  a  debris  commission,  ajipoiuted  by  the  Reclamation  Service 
of  the  United  States  Geological  Survey,  in  the  administration  of  the 
reclamation  features  involved  in  the  problem  of  debris  control,  should 
be,  if  not  in  actual  control  of  the  work,  in  close  consultation  at  all  times 
with  the  other  two  commissions. 

The  expense  of  the  building  of  these  restraining  and  reclamation 
works  should  be  borne,  not  only  by  the  miners,  but  also  by  the  power 
companies,  who  Avould  benefit  from  tlie  opportunity  of  leasing  these  dams 
for  power  purposes,  and  by  the  farmers  who  occupy  the  reclaimed  lands. 
a  proceeding  which  is  entirely  regular  and  in  accord  with  that  of  all 
I'eclamation  projects.  Under  the  provisions  of  the  Caminetti  Act,  the 
miners  would  bear  their  share  by  a  tax  upon  their  gross  income.  It  is 
estimated  that  in  carrying  out  this  plan,  an  expenditure  of  thirty 
million  dollars  would  be  involved.  This  fund  should  be  appropriated 
by  the  state  and  national  governments  in  conjunction,  and  administered 
under  the  supervision  of  the  three  commissions  mentioned  above. 

The  chief  advantages  of  such  a  readjustment  would  be:  First,  a 
definite  understanding  between  the  government  and  the  hydraulic  miner 
as  to  just  where  the  latter  stands;  second,  a  distribution  of  the  burden 
of  restraint  which  would  be  just  and  equitable;  third,  the  removal  of 
the  prohibitive  tax  placed  by  natural  erosion  upon  the  industry  of 
hydraulic  mining  uiuler  pre-sent  regulations;  fourth,  a  solution  of  the 
waste  dredge  lands  problem,  anil  tlie  problem  of  the  I'cclanuition  of  our 
eight  hundred  thousand  aci'cs  of  unproductive  swamj)  lauds.  Having 
assumed  control  of  the  situation,  the  joint  commission,  somewhat  along 
the  lines  suggested,  could  take  charge  of  the  entire  matter  and  work  out 
the  details  of  a  plan,  which  would  l)e  at  once  satisfactory  to  the  miners 
and  highly  beneficial  to  the  agricultural  interests  of  the  State.  Tliere  is 
plenty  of  common  ground  to  stand  on,  and  the  attitude  of  tlie  miners 


22  CALIFORNIA    STATE    MINING   BUREAU. 

and  the  farmers  should  be  equally  liberal.  The  resumption  of  hydraulic 
mining  on  its  former  scale  is  not  to  be  expected,  but  the  six  hundred 
million  dollars,  more  or  less,  that  is  at  present  locked  up  in  the  useless 
ground  of  the  Sierra  Nevada,  may  well  be  expected  in  the  course  of  a 
hundred  years  to  be  added  to  the  riches  of  the  commonwealth  of  Cali- 
fornia in  increasing  volume  as  time  goes  on  and  the  efficiency  of  a 
practical  working  plan  of  control  is  demonstrated. 

In  the  course  of  the  past  two  years,  an  investigation  made  by  the 
writer  has  resulted  in  the  selection  of  the  sites  of  six  main  dams,  which 
would  control  the  principal  watersheds  of  the  Sierras. 

On  the  north  fork  of  the  Yuba  River,  below  Bullard's  Bar,  a  dam  is 
now  being  constructed  by  private  interests,  which  will  eventually  be 
350  feet  in  height,  and  will  cost  upwards  of  six  million  dollars.  This 
dam  will  take  care  of  all  the  hydraulic  mining  debris  ever  likely  to  be 
sent  i-nto  the  rivers  from  any  of  the  hydraulic  mines  above  this  point  on 
the  north  fork. 

On  the  middle  fork  of  the  Yuba  River,  below  the  junction  of"  Deer 
Creek,  and  near  Camptouville,  a  much  larger  dam  with  a  capacity  of 
half  a  billion  cubic  yards  is  suggested  as  a  piece  of  work  which  should 
be  undertaken  by  the  United  States  Government  in  conjunction  with 
the  State  of  California.  This  dam  would  be  about  300  feet  in  height, 
and  would  cost  upwards  of  twelve  million  dollars. 

On  the  south  fork  of  the  Yuba  River,  below  the  junction  of  Shady 
Creek,  there  is  a  good  opportunity  for  a  .storage  dam  about  200  feet  in 
height,  which  would  involve  an  expenditure  of  two  to  three  millions  of 
dollars.  The  above  dam  would  take  care  of  the  major  portion  of  the 
debris  brought  down  by  the  south  fork  of  the  Yuba  River. 

The  above  are  the  projected  dams  for  the  control  of  the  Yuba  River 
drainage.  The  estimates,  as  to  cost  and  storage  capacity,  are  necessarily 
very  rough,  as  time  is  not  available  for  a  careful  examination.  The 
total  storage  capacity  of  these  three  dams  sums  up  to  over  six  hundred 
million  yards.  The  Bullard's  Bar  dam  on  the  north  fork  is  already 
under  construction  by  private  interests  at  an  estimated  cost  of  from  six 
to  eight  million  dollars.  The  total  cost  to  the  United  States  and  State 
governments  of  the  construction  of  the  dams  on  the  middle  and  south 
forks,  as  suggested,  would  be  about  fifteen  million  dollars. 

On  the  Bear  and  American  rivers,  tentative  selections  of  dam  sites 
have  been  made,  subject  to  change  upon  more  extended  investigation. 
On  the  north  fork  of  the  American  River,  a  dam  a  short  ways  above 
the  crossing  of  the  Forest  Hill-Colfax  Road,  about  300  feet  high,  would 
furnish  storage  for,  roughly,  two  hundred  million  yards  of  tailings  at 
a  cost  of  about  seven  million  dollars.  On  the  middle  fork  of  the 
American,  at  the  junction  of  Canyon  Creek,  a  two  hundred-foot  dam 
Avould  give  storage  for  over  two  hundred  million  yards  of  tailings.  This 
is  a  remarkably  good  storage  site,  due  to  the  storage  space  in  Otter 
Creek  and  the  flat  grade  of  the  middle  fork  for  four  or  five  miles  above 
this  site.  The  cost  of  this  dam,  at  the  height  mentioned,  would  be 
roughly  around  three  million  dollars. 

On  IBear  River,  near  Howell  Hill,  a  dam  150  feet  in  height  at  a  cost 
of  about  two  million  dollars,  would  give  a  total  storage  of  about  fifty 
million  cubic  yards  of  tailings.  The  beds  of  Greenhorn  Creek  and 
Bear  River  are  full  of  tailings  from  the  old  hvdraulic  mines,  which  have 


GOLD   PLACERS   OP    CALIFOKNLV.  23 

been  estimated  to  run  from  20  to  60  cents  per  cubic  yard.  The  amount 
of  tailings  has  been  estimated  at  fifty  million  cubic  yards.  A  diversion 
tunnel  for  many  years  has  been  planned  in  the  Secret  Canyon,  which 
would  divert  the  excess  fre.shet  flow  into  the  north  fork  of  the  American. 
This  tunnel  would  be  approximately  two  miles  in  length.  Whether  it 
would  be  a  feasible  or  practical)le  plan  to  work  these  Bear  River  tail- 
ings off  into  the  American  River  through  a  tunnel  of  this  sort  for  the 
sake  of  saving  the  values  in  them,  is  a  question  that  would  have  to  be 
determined  by  careful  investigation. 

In  the  length  of  time  allowed  for  this  investifration,  it  has  been  impos- 
sible to  make  careful  estimates  of  the  costs  and  capacities  of  the  dams 
mentioned  above.  They  are,  however,  within  reasonable  limits,  a  fairly 
close  approximation.  Careful  survey  made  by  government  engineers 
would  possibly  result  in  more  advantageous  locations.  These  dam  sites, 
as  suggested,  however,  control  practically  the  entire  dumping  space 
of  some  three  billion  yards  of  workable  gravel  with  a  storage  capacity 
of  over  one  billion  yards.  As  the  amount  of  material  that  would  get 
down  to  these  dams  is  about  one-fifth  of  the  amount  that  would  be 
worked  off,  they  would  probably  take  care  of  all  material  likely  to  get 
down  to  them,  in  addition  to  the  natural  erosion  of  the  next  fifty  or  one 
hundred  years.  In  time,  of  course,  like  all  storage  dams,  they  would 
become  filled  by  natural  erosion,  and  it  would  be  necessary  to  either 
raise  them  or  to  build  others  higher  up. 

In  order  to  take  care  of  the  slimes  and  fine  material  that  would  be 
carried  over  these  dams  by  the  flood  waters  of  winter  and  spring,  it 
would  be  necessary  to  place  barriers  down  in  the  valleys,  where  the 
rivers  lose  their  grade  and  depo.sit  such  fine  material  as  they  can  not 
carry  to  the  bay  and  to  the  ocean.  As  a  barrier  has  been  constructed 
at  Daguerre  Point  on  the  Yuba  River,  a  puni])  dredge  could  be  installed 
behind  this  to  remove  the  fine  material  as  fast  as  it  came  down  and 
deposit  it  over  the  swamp  and  unreclaimed  land  adjacent  thereto.  On 
the  Feather  River,  below  Oroville.  tlie  same  pbni  could  be  used  and 
much  land  reclaimed,  including  a  larue  portion  of  the  waste  dredge 
land.  The  streams  could  be  widened  by  diking  back,  and  the  greatest 
amount  of  .suspended  matter  would  thereby  be  deposited.  The  slickens 
could  be  pumped  out.  run  through  sluices  for  the  recovering  of  such 
gold  as  might  be  obtainable,  and  used  to  cover  the  waste  lands  Avith  the 
finest  kind  of  fertile  soil. 

On  the  American  River,  below  Folsoni,  a  siiuihir  bai'rier  coukl  be 
erected,  and  waste  lands  adjacent  thereto  could  be  ivelaimed  in  the 
same  way. 

The  above  plan,  while  partly  tentative  in  its  details,  in  its  general 
features  is  ab.solutely  sound.  It  will  inure  greatly  t;)  the  advantage  of 
the  farmers  of  the  State  by  virtue  of  the  reclamation  of  several  hun- 
dred thousand  acres  of  waste  land:  by  the  storage  of  water  during  the 
spring  months,  and  delivering  into  the  river.s  during  the  dry  season, 
when  needed ;  by  permitting  the  rivers  to  cut  down  to  their  old  grade, 
and  giving  transportation  and  navigation  to  ]\Iarysville  and  Colusa,  as 
in  former  days.  It  will  also  give  the  farmers  a  greater  market  for  their 
product,  clase  at  hand,  due  to  tlie  increa.sed  prosperity  of  the  mining 
counties.  These  advantages  to  the  farnu^r.  far  exceed  those  i^iven  to 
the  miners  by  this  plan.    Nevertheless,  the  rejuvenation  of  hydraulic 


24  CALIFORNIA   STATE    MINING   BUREAU. 

mining  in  tlie  mountain  comities  will  result  in  the  restoration  of  vigor- 
ous life  to  the  entire  region  affected.  Towns  that  have  been  almost 
evacuated  will  again  be  busy,  the  buying  power  of  the  mountain  counties 
will  be  greatly  increased,  and  the  whole  State  will  reflect  their  pros- 
perity. Thousands  of  men  will  be  given  employment,  and  the  quartz 
mining  interests  will  reap  advantages  from  the  reduction  in  taxes  and 
the  probability  of  the  opening  of  new  mines  by  increased  prospecting 
during  the  summer  months. 

The  State,  as  a  whole,  will  benefit;  first,  from  the  clearing  of  the 
Mare  Island  Navy  Yard  channel  and  the  bay ;  second,  from  the  clear- 
ing of  the  lower  reaches  of  the  Sacramento,  and  the  avoidance  of  the 
present  necessity  of  dredging  and  diking. 

The  greatest  advantage  of  all,  however,  will  be  gained  by  the  cities  of 
Sacramento  and  Marysville.  About  once  in  every  generation,  when  the 
American,  the  Yuba,  and  the  Feather  rivers  deposit  their  burden  of 
flood  waters  into  the  Sacramento  at  the  same  time,  a  flood  occur.s,  which 
is  absolutely  beyond  control  of  any  engineering  works  that  may  be  or 
are  likely  to  be  constructed.  This  flood  occurs  for  the  reason  that  the 
Carquinez  Straits  have  only  about  one-fifth  of  the  cross-sectional  area 
necessary  to  discharge  the  entire  amount  which  the  Sierra  rivers,  at 
flood,  will  pour  into  the  San  Joaquin  and  Sacramento.  By  the  use  of 
these  storage  dams  and  others  which  may  later  be  built  on  the  Calaveras, 
]\rokelumne,  Stanislaus,  and  Tuolumne  rivers,  the  maximum  flood  can 
be  held  in  check  by  alternately  emptying  and  filling  these  storage 
reservoirs  in  such  a  way  as  to  distribute  the  intensity  of  the  flood  and  to 
hold  back  the  excess  volume  of  Avater  whenever  inundation  is  threat- 
ened. Often  the  checking  of  one  of  these  rivers  for  a  few  hoars  is 
all  that  is  necessary  to  prevent  damage  running  into  thousands,  and 
even  millions  of  dollars.  With  the  increased  population  and  building 
area  of  the  cities  of  Sacramento  and  ^larysville,  a  flood,  such  as  we  had 
in  the  winter  of  1889  and  1890,  would  be  a  tremendous  calamity. 

The  advantages  to  the  power  companies  from  the  eon.struction  of 
these  dams  and  their  leasing  by  the  state  and  national  governments  at 
a  figure  sufficient  to  cover  a  long-time  amortization  of  the  co.sts  thereof, 
will  be  incalculable.  The  necessity  of  heavy  bonding  on  their  part 
would  be  avoided,  and  service  charges  to  consumers  would  be  greatly 
lowered.  In  this  v.ay,  the  people  as  a  whole  would  reap  the  benefit  of 
the  enterprise;  furthermore,  the  power  companies  would  be  forever 
secured  against  -the  possibility  of  socialistic  and  freak  legislation,  such 
as  has  been  attempted  before,  in  depriving  them  of  the  benefits  of  their 
vast  expenditures  of  time  and  money  in  the  development  of  the  Avater 
resources  of  the  State.  As  the  policy  of  the  power  companies  has  always 
been  to  distribute  their  stock  and  their  bonds  among  the  consumers 
of  power  and  the  small  investors  of  the  State,  this  will  ultimately  result 
in  a  permanent  benefit  to  the  public  at  large. 


GOLD    PLACERS    OF    CAL1F0KNL\.  25 

Bibliography. 

Miuing  Debris'.  Miuins  &  Scientific  Press,  Jan.  15.  1S7G;  Feb.  12,  :\rar.  18,  Mar. 
25,  1S7G;  Mar.  15,  1879;  Mar.  22,  Nov.  21),  1879;  Mar.  20,  1880;  July  30, 
1881;  Aug-.  G,  Aug.  13,  Nov.  12,  Dec.  31,  1S81 ;  .Ian.  22,  1882;  July  1,  July  29, 
1882;  June  17,  1882;  Jan.  12,  1884;  Jan.  19,  1884;  May  G,  1893;  Feb.  IG, 
1895;  Nov.  14,  1S9C ;  Jan.  9,  Jan.  IG,  1897;  Oct.  22,  1898. 

Tieilemption  of  Groat  Valley  of  California.     Trans.  Am.  Soo.  Civil  Kngrs.,  Vol.  GG. 

Itcstraining  Barriers  in  the  Yuba  River.     Mining  &  Scientific  Press,  Aug.  IG,  1902. 

Debris  Control.  Miuing  &  Scientific  I'rcss,  Sept.  2,  1905;  Dec.  2,  1905;  Feb.  10 
190(>;  Nov.  20,  1909;  Nov.  12,  1910. 

A  New  Debris  Dam.     ^Mining  «&  Scientific  Press,  July  10,  1915. 

Hydraulic  Mining  Debris  in  California.     V.  S.  (Jool.  Surv.,  P.   P.  105. 

Transportation  of  Debris  by  Running  Water.     U.  S.  Gcol.  Surv.,  P.  P.  8G. 


26 


CAIJFORNIA    STATE    MINING    BUREAU. 


CHAPTER  II. 

PLACER  MINING  METHODS. 

In  investigating  a  placer  deposit  with  a  view  to  subsequent  mining 
operation,  one  of  the  most  important  things  to  be  considered — aside 
from  the  values  in  the  property  and  the  facilities  of  operation — is 
the  adaptation  of  methods  of  mining.  Different  deposits  require 
different  methods  of  attack,  and  many  mines  which  might  have  been 
successful  have  failed,  due  to  tlie  use  of  method.s  that  were  not  adapted 
to  the  property. 


Photo  No.  1.     Characteristic  Hydraulicking  Gravels  in  Peru. 


PiTOTO  No.  2.     Close-up  of  Same  0 ravels  in  Peru, 


GOLD  PLACERS  OF  CAL1F0RNL\.  27 

Each  individual  property  rciiuircs  its  own  special  study  of  conditions 
and  its  own  adaptation  of  methods.  This  should  be  done  by  a  trained 
and  experienced  engineer;  but  there  are  certain  general  conditions 
that  call  for  certain  methods  of  mining,  and  it  is  proposed  in  a  general 
way  and  in  language  that  tlie  ordinary  individual  interested  in  placer 
mining  or  the  prospective  investor,  may  understand,  to  set  forth  a 
view  of  the  best  known  methods  in  current  practice  that  have  come 
witliin  the  writer's  experience. 

This  chapter  does  not  cover  the  whole  field— the  limitations  of  space 
forbid— but  it  is  hoped  that  a  careful  study  of  tlie  bibliography  attached 
will  serve  to  cover  these  points,  which  are  not  touched  upon  in  the  course 
of  the  chapter.  In  the  following  resume,  material  has  been  freely  used 
from  an  article,  entitled  "The  Mining  of  Alluvial  Deposits,"  written 
by  Newton  B.  Knox  and  Charles  S.  Haley  for  the  ".Mining  Magazine" 
of  London  in  1915. 

The  most  important  methods  of  alluvial  mining  are  dredging, 
hydraulicking,  drifting,  mechanical  handling,  ground  sluicing,  dry 
w"ashing,  and  beach  sand  work.  The  last  is  possibly  an  adaptation  of 
several  of  the  former  methods.  Taking  up  these  methods  in  the  order 
of  their  importance  in  modern  placer  mining,  we  wall  begin  Avith 
dredging. 

DREDGING. 

The  type  of  deposit  that  is  most  suitable  for  dredging  is  generally  one 
in  a  river  that  has  worn  down  its  gradient  to  a  basal  plane,  as  in  the 
case  of  the  Yuba  River,  above  ]\Iarysville.  California.  Another  type 
is  that  of  a  mountain  stream  at  the  point  where  it  debouches  into  a 
main  valley  and  there  deposits  its  burden,  as  at  Oroville,  on  the  Feather 
River,  and  at  Folsom  on  the  American.  A  third  type  is  that  of  a 
meandering  river  bordered  by  the  broad  flats  of  its  peneplain,  as  on 
the  Pato  River,  in  Colombia. 

An  ideal  dredging  ground  should  possess  the  following  characteristics : 
Gravel  which  is  loose  and  uniformly  small,  yet  sufficiently  impervious 
always  to  retain  sufficient  water  to  float  the  dredge ;  a  depth  which 
varies  from  40  to  100  feet ;  a  bedrock  that  is  soft  and  decomposed ; 
an  absence  of  barren  top  soil,  beds  of  sticky  clay,  cemented  gravel,  or 
barren  sand ;  no  living  or  buried  timber ;  and  a  fairly  uniform  distribu- 
tion of  value  throughout  the  gravel.  The  river  should  not  be 
subject  to  sudden  or  extensive  floods.  In  addition  to  these  factors, 
availability  of  power,  either  water  or  steam,  and  accessibility  to  trans- 
port, with  its  consequent  low  freight  rates,  should  exist.  Preferably, 
the  deposit  should  be  situated  in  the  temperate  zone. 

The  gravel  should  be  small,  which  means  for  an  ideal  dredging 
proposition,  the  largest  stones  are  smaller  than  a  man's  head.  Much 
dredging,  however,  is  done  in  ground  in  which  the  boulders  vary  in 
size  from  a  foot  in  diameter,  weighing  perhaps  200  to  300  pounds,  to 
boulders  w^eighing  two  tons  and  over. 

]\Iost  of  the  records  of  yardage  have  been  made  in  California  on  small 
gravel,  but  on  the  Trinity  River,  operation  is  now  going  on  in  ground 
that  contains  boulders  weighing  up  to  five  tons.  As  a  general  rule,  unless 
such  a  deposit  is  unusually  rich,  it  is  very  unwise  to  attempt  to  u.se  a 
bucket  dredge ;  under  these  conditions  repairs  to  the  bucket  line  are 


28  CALIFORNIA    STATE    MINING   BUREAU. 

fre(iiieut  and  costly,  and  the  rocoveiy  of  gold  under  tlie  larger  boulders 
Avhicli  lie  on  the  bed  roek  is  very  small. 

An  excess  of  cemented  gravel  or  stiff  clay  as  a  rule  results  in  reduced 
yardage  and  expensive  repairs.  Sticky  clay  means  reduced  capacity, 
due  to  difficulty  in  discharging  the  buckets.  It  is  also  a  source  of 
considerable  annoyance  in  the  sluices,  from  which  it  is  apt  to  remove 
the  amalgam.  Some  troubles  due  to  clay  can  be  overcome  by  the  nse 
of  log-washers  on  the  dredge;  but  extensive  beds  of  sticky  clay,  even 
when  of  a  high  gold  content,  as  those  on  the  coast  of  Brazil,  are 
nndredgable. 

The  gravel  should  be  sufficiently  water-tight  to  hold  the  level  of  the 
dredge-pond,  because  a  sudden  emptying  of  the  ppnd  would  probably 
overturn  the  dredge  and  would  wreck  not  only  the  hull  but  the  entire 
mechanical  plant.  Also  it  is  sometimes  necessary  to  maintain  the  Avater 
in  the  pond  at  a  different  level  from  that  of  the  surrounding  country. 
Ordinarily  from  50  to  75  inches  of  fresh  water  is  required  continually 
to  keep  the  level  of  the  pond  constant  and  to  supply  wash  water  for 
the  digging  operations  of  dredges  with  capacities  running  from  a 
7-foot  bucket  to  a  16-foot  bucket. 

Deep  gravel  from  70  to  100  feet  is  ordinarily  worked  by  dredges 
ranging  from  15  feet  in  size  to  18  feet.  This  does  not  mean,  however, 
that  the  size  of  the  dredge  is  dependent  altogether  upon  the  depth  of 
the  gravel.  Gravel  of  a  depth  of  10  to  20  feet  would  call  for  either  a 
very  small  dredge  or  for  the  adoption  of  another  method  of  working, 
such  as  the  steam  shovel  or  the  drag-scraper.  The  digging  depth  of 
gravel,  which  means  the  depth  from  the  surface  of  the  pond  to  bedrock, 
is  ordinarily  considerably  less  than  the  total  depth  of  the  gravel.  This 
is  for  the  reason  that  practically  all  dredges  carry  a  bank  considerably 
above  the  level  of  the  pond.  For  instance,  in  a  deposit  of  extreme  depth 
a  large  dredge  might  carry  a  30-foot  bank  and  dig  to  a  depth  of  seventy 
feet  below  the  water  level.  This  would,  of  course,  call  for  ideal  condi- 
tions in  the  bank. 

The  ideal  bedrock  in  dredging  is  one  which  is  soft  and  without  ridges 
or  crevices.  In  a  granite  country  the  bedrock  under  the  gravel  is 
usually  decomposed  to  the  required  softness.  The  same  thing  is  true 
of  some  sandstones  and  porphyries.  A  limestone  or  slate  country  is 
nearly  always  characterized  by  a  hard,  blocky,  or  knobby  bedrock,  often 
with  deep  crevices.  These  latter  types  are  unsuited  for  dredging,  as 
the  wear  on  the  bucket  lips  is  excessive,  and  the  gold  lodges  in  crevices 
beyond  their  reach.  A  false  bedrock,  such  as  the  one  of  volcanic  ash 
at  Oroville,  is  ideal.  The  presence  of  boulders  of  the  country  rock  of 
the  district  is  usually  an  indication  of  hard  bedrock. 

In  judging  the  hardness  of  bedrock,  the  evidence  derived  from 
shafts  or  drill  holes  should  be  accepted  in  preference  to  that  presented 
by  exposure  in  running  streams  or  watercourses.  In  many  cases  the 
bedrock  exposed  in  the  river  will  be  found  to  be  hard,  whereas  the  drill 
may  prove  that  the  bedrock  underlying  the  gravel  adjacent  to  the 
stream  is  soft  and  decomposed  to  a  considerable  depth.  This  is  due  to 
the  fact  that  the  denudation  caused  by  the  river  is  greater  than  the 
weathering,  and  all  weathering  products  are  swept  away  as  soon  as  they 
are  formed.  Under  the  gravel,  however,  all  the  decomposed  minerals 
may  be  intact  and  form  a  soft  bedrock  suitable  for  dredging. 


GOLD    PLACERS   OF    CALIFORXLV. 


29 


Dredgiuj,'  in  tropical  countncs  is  often  greatly  hampered  l)y  tlie 
presence  of  buried  timbers,  a.s  in  Frejicli  (hiiana,  and  sometimes  in 
Victoria.  This  is  always  a  source  of  considerable  annoyance,  and  in 
fact,  if  they  are  in  great  quantity  and  well  preserved,  their  presence 
will  prohibit  successful  dredging.  Dredges  which  are  built  for  tropical 
work  should  always  be  equipped  with  derricks  and  stump-pullers.  In 
California,  gravel  is  generally  free  of  buried  timber,  but  standing 
timber  is  quite  common,  and  unless  the  gravel  is  sufificiently  deep  to 
distribute  the  cost  of  clearing  and  stumping  it  over  a  large  yardage, 
this  feature  also  adds  materially  to  operating  costs.  A  shallow  deposit, 
with  a  forest  of  large  and  deep-rooted  trees  upon  it,  will  l)e  pi'ohil)itive 
in  dredging  cost,  unless  it  contains  an  exceptionally  high  content  of 
values. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  dense  jungle  growth  of  tropical  rivers  is  often 
misleading,  because,  while  the  growth  may  be  impenetrablv  thick,  these 


Photo  Xo. 


Xati\es  ^^'ashill 


jungles  can  be  quickly  and  eheaply  cleared,  the  roots  of  the  larger  trees 
being  very  close  to  the  surface.  In  Colombia,  where  native  wages  vary 
from  fifty  cents  to  one  dollar,  an  acre  of  thickly  covered  ground  can  be 
cleared  and  stumped  for  $25  to  $40. 

The  gold  should  be  what  is  known  as  three-dimension  gold,  and  be 
readily  amalgamated.  It  should  not  be  too  finely  divided,  and  it  should 
be  distributed  with  some  uniformity  throughout  the  gravel.  If  the  gold 
is  coarse  and  confined  to  bedrock,  it  is  usually  a  condition  of  spotty 
ground,  and  unless  the  bedrock  is  soft,  recovery  is  very  difficult.  It 
is  very  unusual  for  top  soil  to  carry  gold  in  profitable  quantity.  Exten- 
sive layers  of  sand  are  nearly  always  barren,  and  a  deposit  in  which 
much  sand  occui's  is  apt  to  be  very  erratic  in  the  distribution  of  its  gold 
content. 

Deposits  situated  in  extreme  latitudes  often  contain  permanently 
frozen  gravel,  which  can  be  dredged  only  by  previous  thawing.  This 
thawing  is  usually  done  by  means  of  steam-points  driven  down  into  the 


30 


CALIFOKNIA    STATE    MINING   BUREAU. 


gravel  and  supplied  from  central  boiler  plants  through  insulated  steam 
lines;  or  else  by  what  is  known  as  cold  water  thawing,  Avhich  is  often 
done  by  the  diversion  of  large  bodies  of  water  over  the  area  to  be  dredged 
and  also  by  its  forcing  into  the  ground  in  points  under  hydraulic  pres- 
sure. In  Alaska  frozen  ground  has  been  dredged  at  a  cost  ranging  from 
50  to  75  cents  per  cubic  yard.  Aside  from  the  question  of  accessibility, 
dredging  in  extreme  latitudes  is  greatly  hampered  by  the  short  seasons, 
necessitating  either  the  engaging  of  a  new  staff  each  year  or  their 
maintenance  during  the  idle  season.     Cold  climates  also  necessitate  the 


Photo     No.     4.     Nechi     IwYur     at     Pato.     Characteristic 
Dredging  Gravels  in  Colombia. 

installation  of  heating  apparatiLs  and  the  housing  of  the  exposed  part  of 
the  stacker  and  bucket  line. 

Dredging  in  the  tropics  is  likewise  more  expensive,  owing  to  climatic 
conditions,  with  their  accompaniment  of  malaria  and  other  fevers,  as 
most  of  the  dredging  is  done  on  the  lower  river  bottoms,  where  fevers 
are  prevalent.  The  usual  inefficiency  of  native  labor  also  adds  greatlj'^ 
to  the  cost. 

The  attempt  to  dredge  in  torrential  rivers,  characterized  by  sudden 
and  extensive  floods,  is  always  a  hazardous  undertaking.  Many  dredges 
have  been  swept  away  and  wrecked  by  a  sudden  rise  of  the  water.  The 
question  of  floods  is  one  that  should  be  most  carefully  investigated,  and 


GOLD   PINCERS   OF    CATjIFORNIA. 


31 


data  regarding  it  slionkl  1)C  collected  over  a  period  covering  a  nunil)er 
of  years.  As  a  general  rule,  it  may  be  stated  that  rivers  flowing  through 
narrow  canyons  are  always  perilous.  Even  rivers  with  adja'*ent  flats, 
when  in  countries  where  cloudbursts  are  frequent,  are  liable  to  floods. 
Under  these  circumstances  the  ground  is  often  worked  by  dredging 
inland  and  keeping  a  barrier  of  unworked  ground  to  serve  as  pro- 
tection. 

The  importance  of  freight  rates  weighs  more  heavily  with  this  class 
of  alluvial  installation  than  any  other.  For  instance,  a  7-foot,  close- 
connected  dredge  of  the  California  type,  complete  with  spares,  steel 
pontoon,  motors,  generators,  and  repair-shop  fittings,  weighs  about  one 
hundred  tons.  Some  of  the  single  parts  weigh  twelve  tons;  in  larger 
dredges  they  weigh  up  to  twenty  tons.  This  being  so,  the  necessity  of 
reasonably  easy  access  to  the  property  is  apparent.  Depo.sits  reached 
by  trail  are  quite  prohibitive ;  and  the  dredge  sectionalized  for  iinile- 


Photo  No.   5.     Portage   Creek,   on   the  Little  Delta,  Alaska. 

back  transport  has  yet  to  be  proved  a  success.  Not  only  do  excessive 
freight  rates  affect  the  first  cost  of  a  dredge,  but  they  can  be  felt 
during  its  whole  operating  life.  The  erection  of  one  of  the  larger 
dredges  should  not  be  attempted  very  far  from  good  transportation 
facilities.  . 

The  cost  of  transporting  Imlky  pieces  of  machinery  is  suggested  by 
the  following  case:  From  Colon  to  Puerto  Colombia  the  United  Fruit 
Company  used  to  charge  a  flat  rate  of  $5  per  ton  for  freight.  All 
pieces  weighing  over  four  tons  used  to  pay  an  excess  rate  of  150  per 
cent;  over  eight  tons  an  excess  rate  of  200  per  cent.  A  similar  excess 
tariff  was  charged  on  the  Barranquilla  railroad  and  the  river  steamers 
up  the  Magdelena. 

The  amount  of  labor  required  on  a  moderate-sized  electrically-driven 

dredge  of  the   California  type  may  be  enumerated  as  follows:   One 

dredge  ma-ster,  three  winehmen,  six  oilers,  two  mechanics,  and  several 

roustabouts.     In  tropical  countries  the  roustabouts  may  be  natives,  but 

3— 286n.-; 


32 


CALIFORNIA    STATE    MINING    BUREAIJ. 


where  skilled  labor  is  lacking,  the  remainder  of  the  crew,  with  the 
possible  exception  of  the  oilers,  must  be  imported.  In  addition,  a  staff 
for  the  electric  or  steam  power  plant  and  the  shops  must  be  considered. 
However,  for  the  amount  of  matci-ial  liandled  by  a  large  dredge,  -its 
labor  cost  per  yard  is  low. 

Dredges  are  of  different  typos.  Perliaps  the  oldest  form  of  successful 
operating  dredge  is  what  is  known  as  the  New  Zealand  dredge.  It  has 
been  greatly  used  both  in  its  home  region  and  in  Australia,  where  con- 
ditions are  especially  favorable  for  its  use.    Due  to  its  lightness  of  con- 


Photo  No.   6.      Panning  on   Portage   Creek. 

struction,  it  has  been  extensively  used  in  tropical  countries,  as  well  as 
in  Kussia  and  Siberia.  Compared  with  what  is  known  as  the  California 
type,  the  New  Zealand  type  is  a  light  power  dredge,  usually  with  a  steel 
pontoon.  Its  first  cost  is  lower  than  the  California  type,  and  its 
capacit}^  is  smaller.  This  type  of  dredge  is  especially  adapted  for  a 
small  operating  compau}'  whose  acreage  or  capacity  is  limited,  and 
whose  gravel  is  moderately  light,  uncemented,  and  easily  dug.  Its  chief 
application  lies  in  those  districts  where  lack  of  transportation  is  a 
salient  factor  and  where  heavj-  pieces  of  machinery  can  be  handled 
only  at  a  prohibitive  cost.  Not  only  is  a  considerable  saving  effected  in 
the  first  cost,  but  also  in  freight  charges,  cost  of  erection,  and  simplicity 


GOLD    PLACERS   OF    CALIFORNIA. 


33 


of  repair  shops,  'i'liis  savinj^  will  offset  for  some  years  any  liigher  work- 
ing cost  due  to  the  liandliny  of  a  smaller  yardage  than  might  possibly  be 
dug  by  the  California  tyi)e. 

The  California  dredge  was  evolved  from  the  New  Zealand  in  order 
to  meet  local  conditions,  as  the  latter  type  proved  unequal  to  the  task 
of  handling  the  heavy  ground  encountered  in  California.  As  a  result, 
moditications  of  the  type  were  made,  and  each  newly  built  dredge  was 
altered,  and  the  method  of  operation  changed  until  a  new  type  of 
dredge  and  method  of  work  were  evolved.  This  type  of  dredge  has 
been  enlarged  and  strengthened  and  its  power  tremendously  increased. 


Photo  No.  7.     Dredge  on  Hunker  Creek,  Klondike  Region. 

The  earlier  California  dredges  were  e(|uipi)ed  witli  pan  or  tray  staclc- 
ers,  as  are  those  of  the  New  Zealand  type.  These  have  been  changed 
to  stackers  of  the  belt-conveyor  type  or  straight  flinnes.  In  the  latter 
ease,  yardage  is  not  so  much  an  object  as  the  recovery  of  the  heavy 
gold  lying  mostly  on  bedrock.  Most  California  dredges  are  equipped 
with  close-connected  bucket  lines,  and  these  have  been  found  to  dig 
up  greater  yardage.  The  New  Zealand  dredge  digs  by  means  of  a 
head-line  alone,  but  this  practice  has  been  found  unsatisfactory  in 
California  dredging,  and  all  of  these  now  employ  spiuls  in  digging. 
In  California  most  of  the  hulls  were  built  of  wood,  but  in  tropical 
countries  it  has  been  found  that  steel  hulls  are  more  satisfactory. 


34 


CALIFORNIA   STATE   MINING  BUREAU. 


The  amount  of  gTavol  lumdlod  per  iiioiilli  and  the  operatinii'  cost  per 
cubic  yard  vary  within  wide  limits  and  depend  on  the  dredge  itself, 
the  character  of  the  ground,  the  size  of  the  gravel,  and  the  depth  or 
height  of  the  bank. 

The  California  dredges  vary  in  size  from  3^  cubic  feet  to  18  cubic 
feet  bucket  capacity,  and  are  digging  in  ground  varying  in  depth  from 
15   to   90  feet.      The   field   of   the   modern   California    dredge   lies   in 


Fhoto  No.  8. 


Thawing  Frozen  Ground  on  Hunker  Creek, 
Yukon  Territory. 


the  heavy  cemented  gravels,  which  require  ponderous  and  :nassive 
machinery  to  dig;  or  in  those  large  areas  of  deep  low-grade  gravels 
lying  accessible  to  cheap  transportation  facilities.  Conditions  such  as 
these  exist  at  Marj'sville  and  Folsom,  California.  In  Alaska,  small 
heavily-built  dredges  of  from  one  to  three  cubic  feet  bucket  capacity, 
built  on  California  lines,  are  still  working. 


GOLD    PLACERS   OP    CALIFOKXLV.  35 

Another  type  of  dredge,  M'hich  is  adapted  to  certain  types  of  ground, 
is  what  is  known  as  the  Australian  pump  dredge.  This  dredge  was 
devised  to  meet  certain  conditions  existing  in  New  Zealand  and 
Australia ;  conditions  tliat  prohibited  the  employment  of  either  hucket 
dredging  or  ordinary  hydraulieking.  The  most  important  factor  gov- 
erning the  choice  of  this  method  is  the  character  of  the  bedrock. 

Where  the  gold  is  concentrated  or  near  a  bedrock  that  is  rough,  hard, 
and  uneven,  or  where  it  is  deep  within  the  crevices  of  a  shattered  or 
broken  bedrock,  it  is  necessary  to  expose  and  clean  the  rock  carefnlly. 
This,  of  course,  prohibits  bucket  dredging.  If  the  deposit  be  too  low  for 
hydraulieking,  other  mean.s  must  be  adopted.  It  is  to  meet  these  condi- 
tions that  this  so-called  i)ump  dredge  has  been  devised. 

It  consists  of  a  set  of  centrifugal  pumps,  mounted  on  pontoons  that 
are  floated  only  when  being  changed  from  one  working  face  to  another. 
By  its  use  bedrock  is  exposed  for  cleaning.  The  pump  dredge  consists 
of  two  centrifugal  pumps,  one  known  as  the  pressure  pump  and  the  other 
the  gravel  pump,  mounted,  together  with  motive  power,  upon  a  wooden 
hull  or  pontoon.  AVhile  working,  the  pontoon  rests  on  sills  laid  upon 
bedrock.  The  mining  is  done  ])y  directing  a  small  hydraulic  nozzle 
against  the  bank.  The  artificial  pressure  employed  is  usually  sixty  to 
seventy  pounds  per  s(iuare  inch,  produced  by  a  centrifugal  pump  of  12 
to  14-ineh  discharge.  From  a  bank  the  gravel  is  sluiced  through  runs, 
cut  in  bedrock  to  the  sump,  which  should  never  be  deeper  than  20  feet, 
which  is  the  limit  of  the  suction.  When  the  bedrock  is  wavy  and  dips 
away  from  the  sump,  considerable  expense  is  involved  in  cutting  down 
the  runs  to  grade ;  in  fact,  when  the  bedrock  dips  too  steeply  away  from 
the  sump,  it  sometimes  will  not  pay  to  move  portions  of  the  overlying 
gravel,  which  are  then  left  behind.  As  the  gravel  is  piped,  all  large 
boulders  are  removed  and  left  behind  on  bedrock. 

.  The  gravel  from  the  sump  is  raised  by  the  gravel  pump  to  the  line  of 
sluices,  a  height  which  depends  upon  the  depth  of  the  deposit  and  the 
fall  of  the  sluice-boxes.  A  height  of  over  60  feet  requires  the  installa- 
tion of  a  second  lift  pump.  The  gravel  pump  is  usually  placed  side 
by  side  with  the  pressure  pump  on  the  barge;  but  in  shallow  ground  this 
pump  can  be  worked  from  the  l)ank  and  it  is  then  placed  on  the  bed- 
rock. The  gravel  ])ump  is  from  8  to  ]  2-inch  discharge.  A  direct-acting 
or  .small  centrifugal  pump  is  installed  at  tlie  head  of  the  sluices  to  fur- 
nish them  with  wash  water.  From  the  ends  of  the  boxes,  the  tailing 
flows  back  into  the  worked-out  portion,  and  is  there  retained  by  brush- 
Avood  dams. 

The  total  power  required  depends  on  the  size  and  capacity  of  the 
]ilant  and  the  height  of  the  lift.  It  varies  from  120  to  260  horsepower. 
The  capacity  varies  proportionately  and  ranges  from  8'00  to  2000  yards 
per  day.  The  ti)iie  lost  in  shifting  the  plant,  flooding  the  workings, 
building  the  dams,  and  in  all  repairs  is  a  serious  item.  In  some  cases  ic 
amounts  to  ten  Aveeks  in  a  season 's  run  of  .six  months.  13uring  moving, 
more  men  are  required  than  in  ordinary  running.  In  the  cases  quoted, 
the  crews  ranged  from  eleven  to  fifty  men  per  dredge.  The  first  cost  of 
these  dredges  is  nuich  less  than  that  of  a  small  bucket  dredge,  which 
fact  renders  it  moi-e  feasible  foj-  working  snuill  areas  of  giv-nnd. 

This  method  is  used  effectively  where  the  gravel  is  deep  ami  no  (luiii[> 
is  available;  or  if  the  deposit  be  of  average  thickness — say  25  feet — 


3G 


CALIFORNIA    STATE    MINING   lilTREAU. 


^\•ith  its  valuable  wash  lying  between  a  hard  uneven  bottom  and  a  tough 
overburden  full  of  boulders,  this  type  of  dredge  is  applicable.  It  must 
be  borne  in  mind  that  a  limiting  factor  is  the  amount  of  water  in  the 
ground.  If  there  be  too  much  water,  the  power  required  to  drain  the 
ground  is  excessive;  if  too  little,  the  time  required  to  fill  the  pit  becomes 
too  great.  Where  much  buried  timber  is  encountered,  this  method  also 
applies.  When  transport  is  a  serious  problem,  the  lightness  of  the  pump 
dredge  and  its  simplicity  of  installation,  compared  with  that  of  the 
bucket  dredge,  may  render  it  suitable,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  all  other 
factors  for  successful  Inicket  dredging  may  be  present. 

While  this  method  of  mining  has  its  own  application,  it  is  nevertheless 
contrary  to  all  economic  principles  of  engineering.  Its  effieienc}^  is  only 
30  to  45  per  cent,  and  the  amount  of  water  lifted  per  cubic  yard  of  solid 


Photo  No.  9.     Typical  Alaskan  Gravels  near  Circle  City. 

is  enormous,  as  05  per  cent  of  all  material  lifted  is  water.  This  moving 
of  useless  material  atfects  the  cost,  which  is  apparent  in  the  figures  for 
the  work  done  during  1907  in  Victoria.  Over  ten  million  cubic  yards 
was  treated  by  bucket  dredges,  and  nearly  the  same  amount  by  pump 
dredges.  The  cost  per  cubic  yard  in  the  former  case  was  under  6  cents 
whereas  in  the  latter  it  was  over  20  cents.  As,  however,  the  pump 
dredge  treated  all  the  tough,  irregular,  and  deeper  ground,  which  the 
bucket  dredge  could  not  handle,  this  comparison  of  costs  is  unfair  to 
the  pump  dredge.  Conditions  being  equnl,  liowever,  the  cost  of  pum]i 
dredging  would  be  from  two  to  two  and  one-half  times  greater  than 
bucket  dredging. 

So  much  has  been  written,  and  ably  written,  on  bucket  dredging  in 
California  tliat  it  is  useless  in  a  chapter  of  this  scope  to  go  into  further 
detail  upon  the  subject.  The  reader  is  referred  to  the  bibliograi)hy  at 
the  end  of  this  chapter,  notably  the  articles  by  Robert  Cranston  in  the 


GOLD    PLACERS   OF    CALIFOHNLV.  37 

'Mining  and  Scientific  Press'  and  the  'Eugineerinj:  and  ^Mining-  .Joiir- 
nal';  also  by  John  Power  Hutchins  and  various  equally  notable  authori- 
ties; as  well  as  Bulletin  No.  57  of  the  publications  of  the  California 
State  ]\Iining  Bureau,  and  the  volume  of  D'Arcy  AVeatherbe  upon  gukl 
dredging  in  California :  and  the  bulletin  of  the  United  States  Bureau 
of  ]Mines  recently  completed  by  Mr.  Charles  Janin. 

HYDRAULIC    MINING. 

The  term  'hydraulic  mining'  is  here  defined  as  that  class  of  mining 
employing  the  use  of  water  under  natural  pre-^sure  in  giants  or  monitors 
for  the  pnpose  of  eroding  a  gravel  bank,  washing  it  through  sluices,  and 
disposing  of  the  tailing  by  gravity.  Next  to  the  question  of  gold 
content,  the  determining  factors  in  the  em])loyment  of  this  type  of 
mining  are  the  presence  of  an  abundance  of  cheap  water  that  can  be 
brought  to  the  mine  under  pressure  and  the  existence  of  sufficient  grade 
for  the  disposal  of  the  tailings.  This  latter  feature,  known  among 
miners  as  the  'dump'  of  a  property,  is  exceedingly  important. 

The  size  of  the  gravel  is  not  so  important  in  hydraulic  mining  as  in 
dredging.  Much  larger  boulders  can  be  handled,  provided  there  is 
room  for  their  disposal.  Fairly  tight  layers  of  clay  and  cemented 
gravel  can  be  first  shattered  and  then  disintegrated  by  the  giant. 
Gravels  of  600  feet  or  even  greater  depth  have  been  worked.  In  fact, 
with  the  use  of  a  benching  system,  there  is  practically  no  limit  to  the 
depth  of  the  bank  that  can  be  exploited.  Of  course,  other  things  being 
equal,  the  smaller  and  looser  the  gravel,  the  higher  will  be  the  duty  of 
the  water. 

The  influence  of  bedrock  is  not  so  important  in  hydraulic  mining  as 
it  is  in  dredging,  yet  an  ideal  bedrock  is  one  that  is  even,  does  not 
disintegrate  readily,  and  is  soft  enough  not  to  cause  too  nnich  expense  in 
cutting  sluice-ways,  and  is  still  hard  enough  for  ea.sy  cleaning.  It  is  a 
great  help  if  the  natural  grade  of  the  channel  assists  in  setting  sluice- 
ways. A  deeply  .shattered  bedrock  is  difficult  and  expensive  to  clean,  as 
the  gold  finds  its  way  deep  down  into  the  crevices. 

In  this  connection,  a  type  of  granite  bedrock  encountered  by  the 
writer  in  tropical  countries  and  other  places  where  the  rainfall  is  heavy, 
may  be  mentioned.  It  weathers  underneath  the  gravel  to  depths  of  10 
feet  and  over  and  forms  a  soft  hummocky  under-burden  to  the  deposit, 
all  of  which,  though  absolutely  barren,  must  be  cut  and  washed  away 
in  water  to  secure  a  recovery  of  the  bedrock  gold,  lying  for  the  most 
par-t  on  top  of  it  and  at  the  bottom  of  the  gravel. 

The  existence  of  an  ample  and  cheap  water  supi)ly  is  imperative  for 
this  class  of  mining.  On  the  question  of  water  depends  in  great 
mea.sure,  that  of  the  duty  and  subsequent  operating  cost.  The  character 
of  the  ground  through  which  the  ditch  is  to  be  run  .should  be  carefully 
considered  as  to  seepages,  slides,  footings  for  fiumc  i)osts.  cross  ravines, 
general  liability  to  washouts,  and  its  ability  to  witlistand  erosion. 

Effective  heads  raiigc  generally  from  200  to  600  feet.  Below  the 
former  figure  the  duty  is  -apt  to  be  low.  Above  the  latter  the  require- 
ments of  extra  heavy  pipe,  anchorage,  and  bracing,  become  exacting. 
Within  limits  the  amount  of  water  required  varies  inversely  with  the 
head  obtainable.  With  a  200-foot  head  a  flow  of  2(X)0  inches  would 
suffice  to  operate  a  moderately  sized  liydraulic  mine,  wliile  with  a  400- 


38  CALIFORNIA   STATE    MINING   BUREAU. 

foot  head  1000  inches  would  move  nearly  the  same  amount  of  gravel, 
provided  it  were  loose  and  free. 

Few  hydraulic  mines  are  so  situated  that  a  full  head  of  water  is 
obtainable  throughout  the  year,  consequently  part  of  the  excess  of  water 
during  the  season  of  greatest  flow  is  conserved  wherever  possible,  in 
storage  reservoirs.  When  the  supply  becomes  low,  these  are  frequently 
allowed  to  fill  during  twelve  to  twenty  hours  of  the  day,  the  water  being 
used  for  only  a  short  interval. 

Where  it  is  impossible,  from  the  contour  of  the  country,  to  obtain  water 
under  a  natural  head  of  any  magnitude,  attempts  have  been  made  to 
substitute  artificial  pressure  from  pumps.  This  is  only  practicable  where 
Avater  power  is  cheap,  as  w^ell  as  abundant.  The  most  noteworthy  recent 
instance  of  large-scale  operation  of  this  sort,  which  has  come  under  the 
writer's  observation,  is  the  hydraulic  work  w^hich  was  done  on  the 
Panama  Canal,  where  sea  water  was  used  under  pressure  for  cutting 
down  the  material  with  giants,  centrifugal  pumps  being  employed  to 
elevate  and  discharge  the  material.  The  latter  was  chiefly  silt  and  fine 
sand,  but  even  under  these  circumstancs  the  duty  was  low  and  the  cost 
high.  Wliile  sucli  installations  may  prove  successful  mechanically,  they 
have  in  most  instances  been  failures  financially. 

The  duty  of  water,  in  cubic  yards  per  miner 's  inch,  varies  from  one  to 
ten,  and  depends  upon  the  character  of  the  gravel,  the  facility  for  dis- 
posal of  tailings,  the  amount  and  head  of  water  available. 

The  presence  of  an  ample  supply  of  good  timber  for  construction  is 
more  vital  than  in  the  case  of  dredging,  as  it  is  constantly  in  demand 
for  the  building  and  repair  of  flumes,  sluices,  trestles,  dams,  sluice 
linings,  giant  and  pipe  line  bracing,  as  well  as  the  manufacture  of 
.sluice-blocks.  The  presence  of  buried  timbers  in  the  deposits  is  not  at 
all  prohibitive  in  this  class  of  mining,  as  they  can  readily  be  piped  out 
and  cut  to  size  convenient  for  the  derrick.  The  clearing  of  a  dense 
growth  of  standing  timber,  of  course,  adds  to  the  cost  of  mining. 

After  the  equipment  and  installation  of  a  hydraulic  property,  the 
question  of  labor  is  not  a  serious  one,  as  but  few  skilled  men  are 
required.  Three  pipers,  six  sluice  men  and  ditchtenders,  a  good  black- 
smith, and  perhaps  a  winchman  are  all  that  are  required  on  a  mine  of 
moderate  size,  handling  from  two  thousand  to  five  thousand  yards  of 
gravel  a  day. 

One  of  the  chief  advantages  that  hydraulic  mining  has  over  dredging 
is  the  fact  that  it  is  not  so  greatly  affected  by  the  cost  of  transport. 
A  7-foot  dredge  complete  weighs  nearly  one  thousand  tons,  whereas  the 
equipment  of  a  hydraulic  mine,  handling  the  same  amount  of  gravel, 
complete  with  giants,  pipe,  gates,  sawmill,  derrick,  and  tools,  weighs 
one  hundred  tons. 

Besides  the  cost  of  equipment  in  the  subsequent  running  of  the  mine, 
that  of  supplies  and  spares  amounts  to  a  comparatively  small  sum,  most 
of  the  repairs  being  made  by  the  blacksmith.  For  tlie  above  reasons, 
and  owing  to  the  fact  that  all  ecjuipment  can  be  shipped  in  small  pack- 
ages, a  hydraulic  mine  can  readily  be  operated  in  districts  reached  tiiily 
by  trail.  Where  timber  must  be  brought,  the  question  of  transport 
becomes  much  more  serious ;  so  serious,  indeed,  that  in  some  eases  it 
may  prove  prohibitive. 


GOLD   PLACERS   OP    CALIFORNLV.  39 

The  question  of  the  iuipounding'  of  debris  is  a  serious  factor  iu  plans 
for  hydraulic  miuintr  in  those  districts  in  which  debris  restrictions  are 
enforced.  The  problem  in  California  has  been  fully  discussed  in  another 
chapter  of  this  volume. 

In  planning  the  operation  of  a  property,  it  is  important  to  consider 
the  effect  of  the  disposal  of  tailings  upon  farming  and  other  lands. 
Where  irrigation  canals  are  fed  from  rivers  below  the  dumping  ground 
of  the  mine  it  is  quite  possible  that  these  canals  may  be  silted  by  mining 
operations,  which  would  naturally  result  in  trouble  for  all  concerned. 

An  ideal  dumping  ground  is  one  like  that  of  the  LaGrange,  in  north- 
ern California.  The  tailing  is  dumped  into  a  narrow  valley  about  four 
miles  long,  which  is  the  property  of  the  company  and  drains  directly 
into  the  Trinity  River.  This  river  and  the  Klamath  were  not  included 
in  the  prohibition  of  the  debris  law.  They  are  not  navigable  streams, 
and  the  damage  done  by  hydraulic  mining  to  the  farming  interests  is 
practically  negligible. 

Where  all  factors  calling  for  the  employment  of  hydraulic  mining 
are  present,  with  the  exception  of  dumping  facility,  this  adverse  condi- 
tion can  sometimes  be  overcome  by  the  use  of  the  hydraulic  elevator  . 

Cheap  and  abundant  water  under  great  pressure  is  essential.  This 
is  due  to  the  fact  that  the  efficiency  of  these  machines  is  notoriously 
low.  The  lifting  power  of  the  elevator  is  from  one-sixth  to  one-tenth 
of  the  head  of  water  employed.  The  proportion  of  solids  in  the  total 
weight  of  material  lifted  is  at  most  5  per  cent,  the  remaining  95  per 
cent  being  water.  It  is  largely  due  to  these  facts  that  mining  by  this 
method  has  not  always  been  successful.  Another  factor  requiring  con- 
sideration is  the  size  and  amount  of  boulders  in  the  ground.  Ordinarily, 
with  an  ample  supph^  of  water,  in  regular  hydraulic  mining,  the  size 
of  the  boulders  that  can  be  ejected  through  the  sluices  is  in  the  main 
limited  only  by  the  width  of  the  latter.  In  hydraulic  elevation,  how- 
ever, the  limit  is  governed  by  the  width  of  the  throat  of  the  elevator: 
consequently,  as  this,  even  in  a  large  elevator,  is  not  more  than  15 
inches,  all  boulders  of  larger  diameter  must  either  be  blasted  or  handled 
by  the  derrick  or  stone-boat.  Consequently  only  ground  containing 
moderately  small  gravel  is  adaptable  to  this  method  of  treatment. 

When  a  deposit  of  gravel,  not  exceeding  50  feet  in  depth,  lies  on  a 
hard  bedrock  with  little  or  no  dumping  facility,  and  the  water  supply 
is  limited,  and  when  nests  of  heavy  boulders  exist,  a  modification  of  the 
hydraulic  method  with  the  adoption  of  an  inclined  grizzly  or  of  a 
simple  inclined  sluice  may  be  advisable.  The  former,  sometimes  called 
the  Ruble  elevator,  will  be  described  in  detail  later.  By  the  use  of  it 
all  the  heavy  tailing  is  stacked  and  left  on  the  worked-out  bedrock. 
The  grizzly  is  unsuitable  on  rough  and  extremely  wavy  or  uneven  bed- 
rock, owing  to  the  difficulty  in  moving.  Its  chief  advantage  over  all 
other  forms  of  elevator  lies  in  the  low  cost  of  construction,  as  well  as 
the  fact  that  it  can  be  made  on  the  ground.  Another  ])oint  iu  which  it 
excels  is  its  capacity  for  handling  heavy  boulders. 

The  inclined  sluice  is  employed  to  elevate  material  that  has  already 
passed  through  a  string  of  sluice  lx)xes;  or  to  elevate  material  from 
the  diggings  to  the  sluice  boxes  in  order  to  secure  dump.  Small 
deposits  in  northern  California  and  southern  Oregon  have  been  worked 


40  CALIFORNIA    STATE   MINING   BUREAU. 

by  this  method  and  also  deposits  in  the  Circle  and  Forty  Mile  districts 
in  Alaska.  On  Mastodon  Creek,  in  the  Circle  district,  a  small  plant  is 
in  operation,  which  may  be  cited  as  an  example  of  this  practice.  Here 
two  No.  1  giants  and  one  No.  2  giant  have  been  operating  with  water 
nnder  a  100-foot  head.  The  sluice-boxes,  30  inches  wide,  of  which  there 
were  six,  eacli  12  feet  long,  delivered  their  tailings  into  a  common  sump. 
From  here  the  tailing  was  stacked  35  feet  high  through  an  inclined 
sluice  by  the  No.  2  giant. 

The  depth  of  the  gravel  was  9  feet,  and  the  duty,  including  the  water 
used  for  stacking,  was  2|  cubic  yards  per  miner's  inch  of  twenty  hours. 

Hydraulic  mining  methods  vary  greatly  in  different  districts  accord- 
ing to  the  physical  conditions  encountered.  Even  in  California  a  ca.se 
may  be  cited  of  two  totally  different  practices  in  regions  only  a  few 
hundred  miles  apart.  In  the  northern  part  of  the  state  in  territory 
tributary  to  the  Klamath  and  Trinity  rivers,  the  great  majority  of  the 
bars  which  have  been  worked  are  not  very  high  above  the  beds  of  the 
present  rivers.  The  depths  of  the  gravel  banks  do  not  generally  exceed 
from  30  to  50  feet.  For  this  reason,  the  employment  of  a  drive  or 
'booster  giant'  is  necessary.  This  giant  is  set  in  such  a  position  as  to 
drive  the  gravel  directl}^  to  the  sluice  boxes  after  it  has  been  cut  down. 

In  most  of  tlie  larger  mines  of  the  Sierras  in  eastern  California, 
hydraulic  mining  practice  is  totally  different.  Here  the  banks  are  high, 
running  to  600  feet  in  depth,  and  as  a  result,  resetting  of  giants  is  far 
less  frequent.  In  the  practice  in  vogue  in  this  territory  the  giants  are 
emploj^ed  mainly  for  the  purpose  of  cutting  down  and  are  set  directly  in 
front  of  the  bank.  For  transportation,  lead  water  is  relied  upon,  as 
the  grade  and  dump  are  much  better  than  in  the  northern  country, 
where  most  of  the  water  is  applied  through  the  nozzle  and  but  little 
lead  water  is  used. 

In  planning  the  operation  of  a  hydraulic  mine,  the  first  question  to 
arise  is  that  of  getting  the  needful  supply  of  water  under  working  pres- 
sure. This  is  usually  the  most  costly  feature  of  the  mine.  A  ditch  and 
flume  several  miles  in  length  may  have  to  be  dug  and  constructed.  A 
timber  or  stone  or  concrete  dam  may  have  to  be  blasted  in  the  river 
or  stream  at  the  point  of  diversion  of  the  waters  or  a  tunnel  may  have 
to  be  cut  through  the  solid  rock  for  several  hundred  feet  in  order  to 
avoid  the  washing  out  of  the  flume  by  annual  floods  characteristic  of 
torrential  streams. 

In  a  chapter  whose  scope  is  limited,  it  is  impossible  to  give  the  more 
intimate  details  of  this  type  of  work.  The  reader  is  referred  to  the 
bibliography  at  the  end  of  this  chapter  for  details  of  construction ; 
however,  the  broad  general  principles  of  procedure  will  be  briefly 
outlined. 

As  a  rule,  in  all  temperate  countries,  the  first  thing  to  be  constructed 
is  a  sawmill.  If  possible,  this  is  usually  located  near  the  head  of  the 
ditch,  either  above  or  below  the  point  of  diversion  of  the  water.  As 
fast  as  the  ditch  and  flume  are  built,  water  can  thus  be  used  to  carry 
lumber  to  the  point  where  it  is  needed  and  later  on  to  the  mine  itself. 
Most  dams  in  timber  countries  are  l)uilt  of  a  crib  work  or  cross  timbers 
laid  upon  sills,  which  are  placed  in  hitches  cut  in  the  bedrock  at  a  point 
where  a  solid  foundation  can  readily  be  obtained.  This  crib  work  is  filled 
in  with  boulders,  rocks,  and  sand,  and  in  a  short  time  the  material 


GOLD   PLACERS   OF    CALIFOKXLV.  41 

brought  dowu  by  the  river  will  make  it  a  permanent  structure.  As  a  rule, 
it  is  faced  on  the  upper  side  with  heavy  planking.  The  turnout  gate 
for  the  flume  should  be  seetionalized  in  order  to  control  the  amount  of 
water  admitted  to  the  flume.  One  very  good  system  is  to  have  the  gate 
made  of  6x4's,  which  can  be  raised  independently  of  one  another, 
thereby  widening  the  aperture  into  the  flume  or  narrowing  it  whenever 
desired  with  the  least  expenditure  of  ett'ort.  The  flrst  or  head  l)oxes  of 
the  flume  should  be  protected  either  by  a  bedrock  wall  or  a  built-up 
wall  against  possible  flooding  and  raising  of  the  river. 

In  the  location  of  the  saw  mill,  advantage  is  usually  taken  of  some 
small  gully  running  back  up  tlie  hill  toward  the  thickest  timber  for  the 
building  of  a  skid-way,  and  as  fast  as  the  logs  are  cut  the  regulation 
lengths,  they  are  shot  down  the  skid-way  into  a  pond  or  against  an 
embankment  immediately  above  the  mill.  If  the  mill  is  at  or  near  the 
ditch  line,  Avhere  the  latter  has  already  gained  enough  distance  above 
the  river,  the  ditch  will  supply  power  for  running  the  sawmill.  When 
a  considerable  supply  of  timber  and  lumber  has  thus  been  assured  for 
flume  and  dam  purposes,  a  great  deal  of  judgment  must  be  used  not 
only  in  the  flume  construction,  but  in  digging  the  ditch.  In  flume  con- 
struction, the  question  of  footing's  is  most  important  and  Avill  often 
determine  the  life  of  the  flume. 

With  regard  to  the  general  features  of  the  ditch,  it  may  be  said  that 
the  grade  should  be  suitable  for  the  quality  of  the  soil,  the  front  bank 
should  be  wide  and  firm,  and  the  hill  bank  should  be  well  sloped.  The 
main  idea  of  its  design  is  to  keep  the  force  of  the  water,  as  well  as  the 
greater  portion  of  the  friction  back  against  the  hill  as  much  as  possible, 
yet  not  so  nnich  as  to  cause  extensive  undercutting  and  slides.  To 
avoid  these  latter  nightmares  of  the  hydraulic  miner,  even  when  the 
ditch  has  been  well  constructed,  one  or  more  ditchtenders  may  be  neces- 
sary. There  are,  of  course,  innumerable  methods  of  ditch  repairing  and 
bracing  known  to  the  experienced  miner.  As  it  is  impossible  in  limited 
space  to  give  too  nnich  of  detail,  the  reader  must  again  be  referred  to  the 
bibliography. 

Turnouts  and  sand  gates  at  frequent  intervals  are  essential,  and  in 
case  of  breaks  in  the  diteh.  may  save  much  damage.  Changes  of  grade 
should  be  avoided  unless  there  is  marked  change  in  the  character  of  the 
ground,  as  the  point  of  change  merely  fills  to  the  regular  grade  with 
cuttings  brought  down  by  the  water.  If  the  grade  used  for  the  roughest 
.surface  be  carried  throughout  the  ditch,  things  are  on  the  safe  side. 
The  flume  grade  will  of  cour.se  be  constant  and  much  less  than  the 
ditch  grade.  Care  should  be  used  in  blasting  through  hard  rock  to 
prevent  excessive  fracture  and  consequent  leakage.  The  whole  ditch 
should  be  carefully  puddled  with  clay  or  saw-dust  at  frequent  intervals. 

(.Iround  that  is  apt  to  slide  should  l)e  flumed  in  spite  of  the  tempta- 
tion to  dig  the  tlitcli  in  soft  ground.  It  will  eventually  have  to  be 
flumed  anyway,  and  this,  when  the  footing  has  slid  away,  will  be  done 
at  a  much  greater  cost.  Above  all,  it  should  be  borne  in  mind  while 
constructing  a  ditch  and  at  all  other  times  that  when  the  giants  are 
not  working  there  is  no  money  going  into  the  sluices  and  nothing  is 
more  costl\'  than  shutting  off  water  to  I'epaii-  ditdi  itreaks  (jurini;-  the 
mining  season. 


42  CALIFORNIA   STATE    MINING   BUREAU. 

Having  brought  the  water  above  the  property  with  the  desired  head, 
the  next  thing  requiring  careful  work  is  to  get  it  down  to  the  working 
face.  If  the  pressure  is  great  and  the  hillside  steep,  the  greatest  care 
must  be  taken  in  bracing  the  lower  portion  of  the  pipe  line.  The  details 
of  line,  gate,  and  elbow  bracing,  as  well  as  penstock  building,  are' 
matters  of  practical  importance,  and  tlie  reader  is  again  referred  to  the 
bibliography  for  details  of  construction. 

When  everything  is  ready  to  start  laying  the  branch  strings  of  pipes 
and  setting  the  giants,  the  question  of  the  proper  method  of  working 
the  ground  arises.  This  calls  for  the  exercise  of  good  judgment. 
Ground  that  has  onl}^  an  ordinary  dump  into  a  river  that  depends  upon 
annual  floods  to  carry  away  excess  tailing  should  never  be  opened  from 
the  lower  end,  as  a  dam  will  be  formed,  and  all  detritus  from  the  work- 
ings, including  the  fines,  will  fill  up  the  river  and  spoil  Avhat  dump  there 
is.  On  the  other  hand,  in  case  of  good  dumping  facilities,  it  is  well  to 
open  at  the  lower  end  and  take  advantage  of  the  bedrock  slope  in  laying 
sluices.  If  two  strings  of  sluices  can  be  so  laid  that  one  giant  can  be 
set  between  and  turned  from  one  to  the  other  wiiile  heavy  boulders  are 
being  blasted  or  removed  by  derrick,  eificiency  is  gained.  In  case  a 
dump  giant  has  to  be  used  to  pipe  dump  up  river — it  should  never  be 
piped  down — the  water  may  be  turned  into  it  at  similar  odd  times. 
The  use  and  placing  of  a  derrick,  equipped  with  chains,  for  the  larger 
boulders,  and  stone-boats  for  the  smaller  ones,  recpiires  judgment  and 
experience.  Care  must  always  be  taken  not  to  cause  blocks  with  boulder 
piles. 

As  stated  before,  there  are  two  general  types  of  California  practice 
in  hydraulic  mining  methods  brought  about  by  different  sets  of  condi- 
tions. In  the  eastern  portion  of  the  state,  tributary  to  the  Sacramento 
River,  and  now  practically  closed  by  the  debris  law,  gravel  banks  are 
for  the  most  part,  deep  and  have  excellent  dump.  As  a  result,  when 
bedrock  cuts  were  started  for  sluice-ways,  their  depth  was  usually  so 
calculated  that  when  a  string  of  sluices  reached  the  limit  of  the  workable 
ground,  it  would  still  be  in  bedrock.  Thus  the  sluices  were  always  kept 
up  to  the  face,  and  all  giants  were  employed  in  cutting  down  the  bank 
alone.  This  is  very  ditferent  from  northern  California  practice,  in 
which  cutting  is  done  by  the  field  giant,  which  is,  in  shallow  ground, 
kept  close  to  bedrock.  Driving  across  bedrock  to  the  head  of  the  boxes 
is  done  by  the  booster  giant,  which  is  often  placed  on  the  bank  in  line 
with  the  boxes.  By  the  shallow  cut  thus  necessary  for  the  sluice--\vay 
many  feet  of  dump  are  saved. 

Speed  and  efficiency  in  handling  ground  are  largely  dependent  on 
the  personal  factors  of  judgment  and  experience.  Gold  saving,  on  the 
other  hand,  is  more  a  matter  of  common  sense.  On  this  point  very 
much  has  been  written,  and  the  reader  is  again  referred  to  the  bibliog- 
raphy at  the  close  of  this  chapter.  A  general  discussion  of  the  funda- 
mental principles  will,  however,  bo  confined  to  as  short  a  space  as 
possible. 

For  the  saving  of  fine  gold,  it  is  generally  conceded  that  railway  iron 
(usually  about  forty  ponnds  Aveight  per  yard),  laid  across  the  ])oxes, 
and  spaced  at  2  to  2^  inches  apart,  or  Hungarian  I'iftles,  which  are 
2x4  scantlings  covered  with  steel  straps,  are  the  best  form  of  riffles 
both  for  security  and  durability.     These  riffles  are  often  placed  in  sec- 


GOLD    PLACERS   OF    CALIFORNIA. 


43 


lious,  which  alteruatoly  run  lengthwise  and  then  crosswise  ol:  the 
boxes.  In  many  places  it  is  not  always  possible  to  secure  the  necessary 
material,  and  sluice  blocks  sawed  from  fir  trees,  about  ten  inches  thick, 
are  perhaps  more  generally  used  than  anything  else.  These  sluice 
])Oxes  are  separated  from  one  another  by  pebbles  placed  betiveen  them 
in  order  to  form  riffles  two  or  three  inches  in  width  and  the  depth  of 
the  block.  Details  of  construction  of  sluices  and  of  the  making  of 
riffles  can  be  found  in  any  of  numerous  reference  books. 

In  the  case  of  fine  gold,  one  or  more  undercurrents  should  always 
be  used,  no  matter  how  long  may  be  the  string  of  sluice  boxes.  Quick- 
silver is  usually  left  out  of  the  first  few  head  boxes,  but  in  the  lowei' 
boxes  should  be  used  carefully,  too  much  being  nearly  as  harmful  as 


Photo  Xo.  10.     Hydraulic  :Mining-  near  Forks  of  Salmon,  Siskiyou  County,  Cal. 

too  little,  (.'arc,  of  course,  nuist  always  be  used  in  i)laning  and  caulking 
sluice  bottoms  to  avoid  loss.  Flooding  of  sluices  by  the  pipes,  with  its 
constant  fluctuation,  should  never  be  allowed.  To  avoid  this,  where 
possible,  some  lead  water  should  be  employed  independent  of  the  giant 
water.  The  grade  of  sluices  depends  upon  local  conditions,  vaiying 
generally  from  3  to  9  inches  per  12-foot  box;  6  and  7  inches  per  box 
are  good  grades  with  which  to  operate. 

It  has  already  ])een  mentioned  that  in  deposits  w-ithout  sufifieient 
dump  for  ordinary  hydraulicking,  elevators  may  be  used.  There  are 
many  deposits  in  California  and  elsewhere  that  have  been  successfully 
worked  by  this  means,  thanks  to  the  presence  of  abundant  cheap  water. 

The  usual  means  of  operation  is  to  blast  out  a  pit  or  sump  about  4 
feet  deep  and  10  or  15  feet  .square  in  the  bedrock.  The  receiving  end 
of  the  elevator  is  set  in  the  lowest  portion  of  the  pit.  The  sump  should 
be  centrally  placed,  as  a  great  deal  of  time  is  rerpiired  to  move  the 


44 


CALIFORNIA    STATE    MINING   BUREAU. 


elevator,  with  consoqiiciit  loss  of  water  season.  Except  where  tlie  gravel 
is  very  fine,  a  derriek  and  stone-boat  are  used  in  connection.  A  grizzly 
is  placed  in  front  of  the  intake,  wliose  bars  are  spaced  at  least  one  inch 
closer  together  than  the  width  of  the  elevator  throat.  At  frequent 
intervals  the  grizzly  must  be  cleared  by  hand  labor,  assisted  by  the 
stone-boat.  As  a  result,  during  these  intervals  there  is  a  loss  or  waste 
of  power  which  varies  with  the  amount  of  boulders  in  the  ground. 

The  et^ciency  of  these  machines  is  low  for  the  amount  of  water  con- 
sumed. In  the  writer's  experience  of  the  principal  types  now  on  the 
market,  the  Evans,  Campbell,  and  the  Hendy  elevators  are  probably  the 
most  efficient.  The  Evans  elevator  has  a  distinct  advantage,  due  to  the 
air  suctions  used  on   either  side,  which  prevents  the  formation  of  a 


Photo  No.  If 


Ruble  Elevator   at   Cilta,   California. 


vacuum  in  the  discharge  column.  It  is  certainly  true  tliat  this  inachine 
will  give  a  greater  lift  for  a  smaller  head  than  any  other  type  that  the 
writer  has  used.  It  has,  however,  some  disadvantages  on  account  of  its 
lightness  of  construction. 

One  of  the  most  successful  elevators  in  northern  California  was  con- 
structed on  the  mine  at  the  property  of  the  North  Pork  Salmon  River 
Mining  Company  in  California.  It  consisted  of  a  steel-lined  box  about 
18  inches  square  inclined  at  an  angle  of  about  50  degrees,  with  a  5-inch 
jet  at  the  bottom  and  a  half -inch  steel  striking-plate  at  the  top,  imme- 
diately over  the  sluice.  The  material  was  elevated  about  30  feet.  The 
operating  head  was  about  250  feet.  The  water  supply  was  exceptionally 
good  and  about  700  inches  was  required  for  the  elevator.  Boulders  up 
to  n  or  ,12-inch  diameter  were  handled,  and  there  was  no  attempt  at 


GOLD    PLACERS   OF    CALIFORNLV. 


45 


constructing  a  throat,  evorytliing  beinj;  lifted  directly  on  the  jet.  The 
capacity  was  approximately  1000  yards  per  day. 

As  before  stated,  the  Ruble  elevator  is  simple  and  is  usually  con- 
structed on  the  ground  where  it  is  to  be  operated.  It  consists  of  an 
inclined  chute  at  an  angle  of  about  17  degrees  aiul  about  100  feet  in 
length,  including  a  10-foot  apron,  which  is  used  to  make  connection  witli 
bedrock.  This  apron  is  set  with  its  walls  fitting  closely  inside  the  walls 
of  the  main  elevator  chute,  which  is  about  90  feet  long.  When  moving, 
the  apron  is  moved  separately. 

The  chute  itself,  as  well  as  the  apron,  is  lined  with  quarter-inch  steel 
sides  and  three-eightlis-inch  plates  on  the  bottom.  It  is  about  8  feet  in 
widtli,  and  the  walls  taper  from  ]2  feet  in  height  at  the  bottom  to  about 
1  feet  at  the  top.    For  the  first  20  feet  of  the  incline  the  bottom  is  solid. 


Photo  No.  13.     'Boiling  out'  with  Ruble  Elevator. 

The  remaining  70  feet  consists  of  grizzly-bars  spaced  about  2i  inches 
apart,  running  transversely ;  these  bars  are  made  of  2  l)y  6-inch  timbers 
covered  with  straps  of  half-inch  steel.  Underneath  the  grizzly  is  a 
false  bottom  which  slopes  down  from  the  upper  end  of  the  elevator  to 
the  sluice-box.  which  in  turn  runs  out  at  right  angles  from  under  the 
main  chute,  directl.y  under  the  lower  end  of  the  grizzly.  Both  the  false 
bottom  and  the  box  are  lined  with  light  steel,  and  6-foot  extensions  are 
built  from  the  latter  on  separate  bents,  set  at  the  desired  grade,  until 
about  60  feet  of  sluice  is  obtained.  The  riffles  used  are  Hungarian, 
2  by  4-inch  timbers  covered  with  strap  steel,  set  at  intervals  lengthwise, 
but  mainly  crosswise,  of  the  sluice.  If  desired,  the  sluice  can  be  covered 
and  put  under  lock  and  key. 

The  supporting  structure  of  the  main  elevator  is  Imilt  on  tiiree  long 
stringers  al)Out  12  bv  14  inches  in  size.     Bents  4  by  6  inches  are  bnilt 


46  CALIFORNIA   STATE   MINING   BUREAU. 

crosswise  iipou  them  to  support  the  cliute.  Ivoii  rods  may  be  used  for 
bracing.  The  whole  grizzly  is  mounted  upon  skids  set  crossways  of  the 
stringers  and  supported  by  blocks  resting  upon  bedrock.  When  moving, 
a  roadway  for  these  skids  has  to  be  built  ahead  of  it.  Moving  is  done 
with  a  light  winch  and  a  cable,  one  mule  furnishing  ample  power. 

The  method  of  operation  is  as  follows:  The  elevator  giant  is  set 
squarely  in  front  and  in  line  with  the  middle  of  the  grizzly,  about  80 
feet  back  from  the  bottom.  Wings  are  built  out  on  either  side  of  the 
elevator,  one  wing  reaching  clear  to  the  bank.  The  wings  are  about 
10  feet  high,  and  faced  with  the  poorest  timber  scrap  on  the  place  as  a 
protection.  The  supporting  frames  can  be  made  so  as  to  be  portable 
and  quickly  set  up  by  bolts.  They  must  be  well  braced  from  behind,  as 
gravel  is  constantly  being  slammed  against  them  by  the  giant. 

The  field  or  cutting  giant  starts  operations  behind  the  elevator  giant 
and  works  along  the  face  from  bedrock,  taking  a  layer  from  10  to  20 
feet  thick,  driving  it  up  along  the  bank  to  the  wing  of  the  elevator, 
and  piling  it.  From  this  point  onward  it  is  taken  in  charge  by  the 
elevator  piper.  As  both  giants  are  often  in  operation  at  the  same  time, 
a  rough  shed  is  built  over  the  elevator  giant  to  protect  the  piper. 

The  piper  must  use  great  care  in  order  to  avoid  loss  of  fine  gold.  :Iie 
picks  up  a  few  cubic  yards  of  material  and  drives  it  up  the  solid 
portion  of  the  incline.  Then  he  carefully  'boils-out'  the  fines  over  the 
lower  portion  of  the  grizzly.  The  fines  go  through  into  the  box,  and 
not  until  the  boulders  and  heavier  stones  are  clean  and  bare  are  they 
pushed  over  the  end  of  the  machine.  A  few  are  always  left  on  the 
grizzly  to  act  as  a  baffle  for  flying  fines  and  gold,  as  the  latter  has  a 
tendency  to  flick  over  the  end  on  the  giant  spray.  After  the  fine 
material  has  thus  been  separated  and  put  througlr- the;^grjzzl^  .aiji^-the 
boulders  driven  over  the  end,  the  action  is  repeated.  • 

About  every  hour  or  so  the  giant  must  be  swung  to  one  side,  and  the 
fine  tailing  that  is  collected  and  heaped  at  the  discharge  end  of  the 
sluice  piped  away.  A  dump  giant  is  kept  at  one  side  to  pile  up  at  odd 
moments  when  the  water  may  not  be  in  use  in  either  of  the  other  two. 

When  the  field  giant  has  been  advanced  along  the  face  until  it  has 
cut  its  entire  swath,  it  is  drawn  back  again  and  another  laj^er  of  10 
or  20  feet  removed.  From  one  setting  of  the  machine  a  tremendous 
amount  of  material  can  be  reached,  especially  if  the  pressure  is  good. 

When  the  boulder  dump  is  filled  to  the  top  of  the  machine,  sills 
are  laid  on  it  with  a  platform  of  boards  as  an  extension  of  the  elevator. 
This  operation  is  repeated  every  two  or  three  days  until  the  dump  is 
piled  much  higher  than  the  machine.  Then  the  dump  giant  is  run 
forward,  the  whole  pile  piped  down  in  a  few  hours,  and  a  new  start  is 
made. 

When  the  driving  limit  of  the  field  giant  has  been  reached,  the 
machine  must  be  moved.  The  time  required  to  do  this  (5  or  6  days)  is 
one  of  its  chief  drawbacks.  This  can  only  be  obviated  by  using  two  or 
three  machines  and  changing  the  water  from  one  to  another.  In  this 
way,  two  machines  can  always  be  kept  in  operation  while  one  is  being 
moved.  With  a  50-foot  bank,  and  the  field. giant  working  under  400 
feet  of  pressure,  the  elevator  should  be  good  for  at  least  four  weeks  work 
in  one  place. 


GOLD   PLACERS   OF    CALIFORNLV. 


47 


As  previously  stated,  the  machine  is  moved  l)y  winch  and  cable. 
Great  care  must  therefore  be  taken  to  have  the  skids  level  and  firm,  so 
as  not  to  rack  it. 

The  writer  has  operated  a  machine  of  this  type  on  ground  carrying 
about  10  cents  per  cubic  yard,  with  about  8  feet  of  dump  into  a  small 
river.  From  600  to  1200  inches  of  water  under  about  450  feet  head  was 
available  for  about  four  months  of  the  year.  During  this  time  100,000 
yards  of  gravel  was  handled,  and  the  total  operating  expenses,  including 
ditch  maintenance  and  all  preparatory  work,  was  $6,000,  or  6  cents  a 
yard.  As  the  gravel  was  heavy,  containing  nests  of  boulders  from  1  to 
5  tons  in  weight  near  bedrock,  and  the  bank  was  only  20  to  25  feet  in 
I  height,  this  may  be  considered  a  fairly  Ioav  working  cost.  The  powder 
'  bill  for  the  season,  with  ix)wder  at  25  cents  a  pound,  was  about  $200, 


Photo  No.  14.     Showing  the  Rlzp  of  Bouldor.s  put  thrmig-h  tho  Ruble  Elevator. 

because  all  rocks  that  would  not  conveniently  go  over  the  grizzly  had  to 
be  blasted  to  about  half-ton  size,  or  a  trifle  less.  Boulders  weighing  more 
than  a  ton  could  be  put  over  the  machine;  although  of  course  very 
slowly,  so  that  it  was  not  good  practice  to  do  it. 

Although  the  mine  was  distant  !)0  miles  from  the  railway  and  all 
steel  had  to  be  imi)orted,  the  total  cost  of  the  machine  erected  upon  tlie 
ground  was  about  $3,500.  The  capacity  Avas  from  1000  to  20(X)  yards 
per  day  of  24  hours.  This  capacity  could  be  increased  at  Iccost  50  and 
perhaps  100  per  cent  by  the  use  of  an  automatic  gate  at  the  upper  end 
of  the  machine,  which  would  keep  all  fine  gold  from  flying  over,  and 
obviate  the  necessity  of  losing  time  in  careful  boiling-out  of  the  fines. 
This  would  also  prevent  any  loss  due  to  careless  piping,  as  the  material 
could  be  jammed  through  the  machine  almost  as  fast  a.s  the  pipe  could 
carry  it  without  danger  of  gold  flying  over. 

4— 2S603 


48  CALIFORNIA    STATE    MINING   BUREAU. 

The  subject  of  hydraulic  mining,  if  covered  in  detail,  would  occupj^ 
a  volume  in  itself.  In  the  foregoing  paragraplis,  the  writer  has  endeav- 
ored to  restrain  himself  to  an  outline  of  the  fundamental  principles  that 
govern  the  selection  and  operation  of  a  hydraulic  mine.  For  more 
complete  detail,  expressed  in  a  better  manner  by  a  man  who  is  a  master 
of  his  subject,  the  reader  is  referred  to  Mr.  A.  J.  Bowie's  treatise  on 
hydraulic  mining. 

One  subject,  however,  should  perhaps  be  mentioned  in  addition. 
The  above  methods  of  mining  secure  their  greatest  efficiency  in  gravel 
that  is  moderately  loose  and  free.  In  a  great  many  of  the  larger  deposits 
of  gravel  now  remaining  in  California,  the  material  is  so  tightly  bound 
together  that  it  becomes  necessary  to  blast  the  banks  before  Iwdraul- 
icking. 

The  usual  procedure  in  this  case  is  to  run  a  tunnel  directly  into  the 
bank,  either  on  bedrock  or  near  the  bottom  of  the  ground  which  is  being 
benched  off  to  a  distance  which  will  approximately  equal  the  height  of 
the  bench.  From  the  end  of  this  tunnel  cross  cuts  are  run  at  right 
angles  in  directions  so  that  the  whole  working  resembles  a  'T'  in  form. 
This  tunnel  is  carefully  packed  with  explosives  according  to  the  mass  of 
the  ground  which  is  to  be  broken,  and  the  hole  is  then  carefully  sealed 
and  tamped,  connection  being  first  made  for  electric  detonation.  After 
the  bank  has  been  shattered  and  broken  by  this  discharge,  it  is  eroded 
and  broken  down  by  the  hydraulic  giant  in  the  usual  manner.  The  cost 
of  this  blasting  will,  of  course,  vary  with  the  physical  conditions  which 
obtain  in  the  bank.    As  a  rule,  it  will  vary  between  2  to  5  cents  a  yard. 

DRIFT    MINING. 

Gravel  that  is  covered  by  flows  of  igneous  rock  or  by  a  heavy  deposit 
of  overburden,  and  the  metal  in  which  is  concentrated  within  a  rela- 
tively narrow  strata,  is  usually  mined  by  drifting. 

The  relative  importance  of  the  factors  that  govern  the  choice  of  this 
form  of  mining  is  often  dependent  on  the  conditions  under  which 
operation  must  be  undertaken.  For  instance,  in  the  early  days  of 
California  mining,  many  deposits  were  drifted  for  their  richer  streaks 
by  miners  with  little  or  no  capital.  Later,  some  of  these  deposits  were 
hydraulieked  with  great  success.  In  the  same  way  a  large  proportion 
of  the  Oroville  ground  was  drifted  before  the  advent  of  the  dredge. 

The  proper  conditions  for  the  operation  of  a  drift  mine  may  be 
stated  as  follows :  Values  heavily  concentrated  in  the  gravel,  without 
too  large  boulders,  too  much  water  or  running  sandy  ground ;  bedrock 
that  should  not  be  swelling,  and  yet  M^hich  is  soft  enough  to  have  caught 
and  retained  a  fair  proportion  of  the  bedrock  pay  or  heavy  gold.  An 
ideal  drifting  ground  is  one  in  which  gravel  is  about  five  feet  thick  on 
a  slate  bedrock  and  is  capped  by  a  smooth  homogeneous  body  of  lava  or 
volcanic  mud.    The  gravel  should  be  fairly  loose,  without  cement. 

In  a  drift  mine  skilled  miners  and  timl)ermen  are  a  necessary 
adjunct.  It  is  often  necessary  in  opening  up  such  a  mine  to  run  long 
cross-cut  tunnels  or  to  sink  fairly  deep  shafts.  These  add  greatly  to  the 
cost  of  opening  a  mine.  A  heavy  fiow  of  water,  which  necessitates 
much  pumping,  is  also  a  source  of  expense.  For  this  reason,  ground 
should  be  opened  up  by  tunnels  which  are  deep  enough  to  drain  the 
channel  if  possible.    Running  and  sandy  ground  requires  closer  timber- 


GOLD  PLACERS  OP   CALIFORNIA,  49 

ing  and  extreme  viiiilauee.  Nests  of  laree  bmiklers  brin?  np  tlie  cost 
of  the  mining,  as  tliey  mnst  be  blasted. 

Where  the  deposit  is  buried  under  a  heavy  lava  flow,  drift  mining 
is  imperative.  AVhere  the  rich  streak  is  buried  under  a  deep  overburden 
of  barren  material  this  method  is  often  advisable.  In  the  case  of 
frozen  ground,  as  in  Alaska,  drift  mining  has  been  almost  universally 
employed  in  the  smaller  holdings.  During  the  winter  the  gravel  is 
taken  out  and  piled  on  the  dump  to  be  sluiced  later  with  the  spring 
thaw.  Steam  batteries  with  points  are  employed,  and  the  necessity  of 
timbering  is  obviated  by  the  frozen  nature  of  the  ground. 

In  the  following,  an  abstract  has  been  made  of  a  report  on  'Drift 
Mining  in  California',  by  Russell  L.  Dunn,  published  in  the  Eighth 
Annual  Report  of  the  State  IMineralogist  of  California.  In  part  quota- 
tions have  been  made  directly. 

Drift  mining  is  peculiarly  a  California  development,  originating 
from  the  conditions  of  location  of  these  deposits.  The  earlier  channels 
now  cut  by  the  modern  streams  are  usually  accessible  to  bedrock  tun- 
nels. The  ancient  river  system,  Avho.se  l)uried  channels  are  auriferous, 
extended  from  Avhat  is  now  Butte  and  Plumas  counties  on  the  north 
to  Tuolumne  on  the  south,  and  from  the  eastern  edge  of  the  Sacramento 
Valley  almost  to  the  summit  of  the  sierras.  The  topography  of  the 
country  during  their  period  of  formation  can  not  now  be  restored  with 
more  than  probable  certainty.  Apparently  the  ancient  river  system  was 
similar  to  the  present  one  in  relative  location  and  direction  of  flow  of 
the  main  streams. 

The  ancient  streams,  judging  by  the  masses  of  gravel  in  their  channels 
probably  carried  larger  volumes  of  water  than  the  present  streams,  and 
the  mean  gradient  of  their  beds  was  considerably  more  than  that  of 
the  existing  streams  at  corresponding  points,  it  being  almost  certain 
that  the  elevation  of  the  Sierra  to  its  present  condition  and  altitude 
Avas  before  the  cretaceous  period.  The  general  surface  of  the  country 
Avas  not  as  rugged  as  noAv,  being  hilly  rather  than  mountainous.  The 
gold  in  the  channels  is  a  product  of  the  primary  disintegration  of  the 
auriferous  slates,  talcose  rocks,  and  quartz  veins.  The  erosive  agencies 
of  water  and  cold  Avere  probably  more  poAverful  then  than  noAV. 
Le  Conte  says  that  a  period  of  glacial  erosion  Avas  prior  to  the  forma- 
tion of  the  channels,  and  Avas  the  greater  disintegrating  force. 

The  changes  in  the  location  of  the  channels  have  been  made  by  erup- 
ti\'e  agencies  and  their  filling  up  Avitli  accumulations  of  gravel,  sand, 
and  clay.  This  covering  up  and  obliteration  of  the  surface  Avas  not  the 
result  of  one  season  of  eruptive  activity,  but  several,  separated  by 
enormous  intervals  of  time.  The  first  fioAvs  probably  did  not  com- 
pletely divert  the  .streams,  except  at  a  fcAv  point's,  but  merely  raised 
their  beds  and  changed  the  character  of  the  channel  deposits.  The 
period  of  inactivity  Avas  in  time  followed  by  another  period  of  eruption, 
and  in  its  turn  by  a  period  of  quiescence.  This  sequence  repeated 
several  times,  but  Avith  a  diminishing  poAver,  and  finally  ended  in  the 
complete  cessation  of  the  eruptive  energy.  These  latter  floAvs  consisted 
largely  of  volcanic  ash  and  volcanic  mud.  The  channels  and  surface 
depressions  generally,  and  some  of  the  lower  hill  elcA-ations,  became  more 
and  more  obliterated  until  at  the  end  of  the  last  period  of  eruption  a 
completely  new  topography  Avas  forming,  the  beginning  of  the  present. 


50  CALIFORNIA   STATE    MINING    BUREAU. 

Tlu"  lessening  area  to  the  south  eoverec]  ])y  the  successive  flows, 
fu'couuts  for  tlie  greater  erosion  of  the  eru])tiv('  (k'posits  in  tlie  southern 
portion,  and  for  the  greater  depth  aiul  ]>ioi-e  numerous  strata  f)t*  the 
nortlu'rn  portion.  It  is  probable  that  many  of  the  existing  river 
channels  are  from  original  ones  cut  deeper  into  the  country  rock,  the 
volcanic  flows  not  obliterating  them  at  all.  This  is  particularly  the  case 
in  the  lower  courses  of  the  larger  streams. 

"The  old  river  channels  now  are — as  the  result  of  the  eruptive  flows  first  filling, 
then  denudation  by  glacial  and  stream  erosion — depressions  in  the  surface  of  the 
country  rock  filled  with  river  sands,  gravels,  and  clays,  and  capped  with  lava,  volcanic 
ashes,  and  tufa,  with  possibly  wash  gravels  lying  between  the  volcanic  flows — the 
remains  of  stream  erosion  in  the  interval  between  the  flows.  The  depth  of  the 
g'ravels  on  the  bedrock  will  vary  between  limits  of  nothing  to  300  feet;  the  depth 
of  the  volcanic  flows  and  other  gravel  deposits  from  nothing  to  1500  feet;  though  at 
no  two  points  would  exactly  the  same  deposits,  either  in  quality  or  relation,  be 
found.  The  following  data  from  the  shaft  of  the  CJray  Eagle  Drift  Mine,  Sec.  6, 
T.  13  N.,  R.  10  B.,  M.  D.  M.,  near  Forest  Hill,  Placer  County,  is  typical,  and  well 
illustrates  the  phenomena  of  several  of  the  eruptive  periods  and  the  stream  flows  of 
the  intervals  between.  Beginning  at  the  surface,  in  sinking,  the  shaft  passed 
through — 

Red    soil    and    loam 10  feet 

Soft    gray    volcanic    ash 31  feet 

Hard  gray  lava,  containing  angular  fragments  of  slate 80  feet 

River   wash,    sand   and   gravel    in   alternate   strata,    principally   sand 34  feet 

River  wash,  gravel  and  sand   in  alternate  strata,  principally  gravel 30  feet 

Yellow  water  sediment,   pipe  clay 25  feet 

Loam,   fine  black  sediment,  containing  leaves,  logs,   etc 10  feet 

Large  boulders,  water  worn 10  feet 

Hard,    chocolate-colored    lava ^ 60  feet 

River  wash,   gravel  and  sand 10  feet 

Hard,  chocolate-colored  lava,  containing  logs,  some  petrified 20  feet 

River  wash  gravel 7  feet 

Hard,    chocolate-colored    lava 25  feet 

"At  this  point  the  country  rock  is  struck  sloping  down,  showing  that  the  bottom  of 
the  channel  has  not  been  reached.     On  and  in  this  rock,  gold  was  found. 

"In  this  particular  case  there  are  four  distinct  lava  flows  determinable  and  four 
river  flows  in  substantially  the  same  channel.  Not  till  the  channel  became  full  by 
the  last  volcanic  flow  did  the  old  stream  take  an  entirely  different  location.  Com- 
paratively few  shafts  have  been  sunk  through  these  lava  flows,  the  mining  of  the 
auriferous  gravels  underneath  being  most  practicable  through  tunnels,  and  in  the 
sinking  of  the  shafts  but  little  attention  has  been  paid  to  keeping  a  record  of  the 
character  of  the  ground  passed  through.  However,  in  the  workings  of  some  of  the 
drift  mines  through  tunnels,  several  of  these  lava  flows  have  been  located  far 
underground,  not  superimposed  one  on  the  other,  but  filling  channels  that  have  been 
cut  through  and  crossed  older  channels  filled  with  older  lava  flows.  In  the  Bald 
Mountain  Mine,  at  Forest  City,  Sierra  County,  the  channel  being  mined  was  crossed 
and  cut  through  by  another  channel  about  500  feet  wide.  This  latter  was  filled  at 
the  bottom  with  a  kind  of  volcanic  mvid  and  contained  no  gold.  In  the  Mountain 
Ciate  Mine,  at  Damascus,  Placer  County,  a  wide  white  quartz  channel  was  found  to 
be  cut  through  and  crossed  by  another  channel  over  500  feet  wide  and  60  feet  lower 
at  the  crossing.  This  last  channel,  unlike  that  in  the  Bald  Mountain  Mine,  contained 
auriferous  blue  gravel  (almost  exclusively  slate)  from  6  to  15  feet  in  depth,  directly 
overlaid  with  a  hard,  compact  lava.  In  the  Paragon  Mine,  at  Bath,  Placer  County, 
there  are  three  distinct  determinable  channels.  First,  the  lowest  and  original,  a  blue 
gravel  channel  lying  directly  on  the  country  rock.  Second,  an  upper  channel  150 
feet  above  the  first  in  an  elevation  and  having  the  same  general  line  of  flow.  Between 
the  two  are  alternate  layers  of  wash  gravel,  sand,  and  pipe  clay.  Third,  a  channel 
crossing  and  cutting  through  the  second,  but  not  down  to  the  first.  This  last  is  filled 
with   a  lava   flow. 

"Some  of  these  old  river  channels  are  filled  to  depths  of  several  hundred  feet  with 
gravel,  sand,  and  pipe  clay,  all  river  deposits,  which  extend  to  great  widths  and 
far  beyond  the  limits  of  the  lowest  channel  depression.  These  immense  accumida- 
tions  of  gravel  and  other  detrital  matter,  in  a  less  degree  than  the  eruptive  flows, 
have  still  been  the  causes  of  changes  in  the  location  of  the  channels.  An  example 
of  this  kind  of  change,  which  is  more  than  usually  marked,  exists  in  the  channels 
in  the  vicinity  of  Forest  Hill,  Placer  County.  Four  miles  above  Forest  Hill  there 
is  only  one  channel  traceable  by  surface  indications ;  a  mile  nearer  Forest  Hill  it 
seems  to  have  had  two  distinct  beds  and  locations.  One  of  these  runs  south  through 
the  Paragon  Mine,  in  which  it  has  been  followed  for  almost  SOOO  feet,  thence  cut  off 
and  eroded  away  for  over  a  mile  by  Volcano  Canon,  it  reappears  as  the  extremely 
rich  front  channel  of  Forest  Hill,  having  there  a  southwesterly  course.  The  other, 
first  having  a  southwesterly  course  till  it  is  a  mile  west  of  the  Paragon  channel, 
then  turns  south,  running  through  the  Mayflower  Mine,  in  which  it  has  been  followed 
for  about  2500  feet,  and  keeping  the  same  general  direction  it  finally  joins  the 
other  about  a  mile  and  a  half  southwest  of  Forest  Hill.  It  seems  almost  impossible 
that  both  of  these  should  have  been  made  at  the  same  time,  but  they  are  undoubt- 
edly the  work  of  the  same  stream,  though  the  points  of  parting  and  reuniting  have 
as  vet  not  been  found.  Their  common  origin  shows  itself  in  the  similar  character  of 
the  gravel  wash  in  both,  and  the  similar  character  and  yield  of  gold  ;  also  the  widths 


GOLD   PLACERS   OP    CALIFORNIA.  51 

of  the  beds  of  the  channels  are  praeticully  the  same,  and  the  elevations  of  corres- 
ponding points  in  these  beds  in  agreement.  The  extreme  rise  of  the  surface  of  the 
country  rock  between  the  two  channel  beds,  so  far  as  known,  except  at  a  few  points 
of  no  extent,   does  not   appear  to   have  exceeded   150   feet. 

"The  theory  (an  opinion)  of  these  two  channels  is,  that  the  first  cut  out  by  the 
stream  became,  in  the  end,  filled  with  gravels  and  other  water  deposits  until  the 
water  flow  was  forced  over  the  low  elevation  between  into  the  channel  of  a  tribu- 
tary, which  it  cut  out  and  made  into  the  main  channel  till  it  in  turn  became  filled 
with  gravels  and  detrital  matter  up  to  the  level  of  the  other.  From  this  time  on, 
the  location  of  the  channel  was  probably  not  i)ermanently  fixed,  as  wash  gravel  of 
similar  character  is  deposited  all  over  the  country  rock  between  the  two  channels, 
and  all  contains  some  gold.  What  has  already  been  noted  as  the  second,  or  upper 
channel,  in  the  Paragon  Mine  was,  from  its  unusiil  richness  in  gold  for  gravel  so  far 
above  the  surface  of  the  country  rock,  the  probable  location  of  the  flow  for  a  long 
period  of  time.  I!oth  channels,  the  country  rock  and  overlying  gravels  between,  are 
covered  with  200  feet  depth  of  lava,  on  which  is  another  deposit  of  wash  gravel  from 
20  to  50  feet  in  depth,  containing  some  gold,  and  over  this  a  second  lava  and 
volcanic  ash  flow  capped  with  the  surface  soil,  from   100   to   300   feet   in  depth." 

The  filling  iii  and  covering  of  the  old  channel  depasits  was  not  uniform 
nor  was  the  sub.sequent  denudation.  The  portions  of  the  channels,  in 
which  were  the  largest  accumulation,  seem  to  have  been  liehtly  covered 
and  subsequently  eroded  so  that  the  remains  of  these  larger  deposits, 
where  they  have  not  l)een  obliterated,  are  now  in  the  form  of  gravel  hills, 
being  the  summits  of  the  ridges  l)etween  the  present  river  canons. 

The  early  miners  worked  the  more  .shallow  of  these  'hill  diggings', 
and  disicovered  that  the  richest  gold-bearing  gravels  lay  immediately  on 
the  country  rock  and  followed  it  into  the  mountainside.  This  branch  of 
the  gold  mining  industry  soon  became  known  as  drift  mining. 

Before  discii.ssing  the  details  of  methods  and  apiilianccs.  the  condi- 
tions of  drift  mining  are  expressed  as  follows:  The  auriferous  ]>laccr 
deposit  is  river-washed  gravel,  most  often  lying  in  a  narrow  depression 
<)f  the  surface  of  the  country  rock,  overlaid  with  either  comparatively 
barren  gravel  and  the  detritus  of  fresh  water  erosion  from  a  few  feet 
to  several  hundred  in  depth  or  with  lava  and  volcanic  flows  to  as  much 
an  a  thousand  feet  in  depth,  or  with  both,  in  varyiuu'  relative  propor- 
tions and  alternation,  depending  on  the  surface  denudation  during  the 
period  of  intermittent  eruptive  activity  and  since  its  clo.se.  Reliable 
surface  indications  of  these  ancient  channel  depressions  are  practically 
limited  to  the  places  where  they  are  uncovered  by  erosion  or  cut  oft' 
or  into  by  the  present  precipitous  stream  caiions.  The  present  main 
river  caiions  have  cut  down  hundreds  of  feet  lower  than  these  old 
channels  in  all  but  a  few  localities. 

Experience  has  shown  that  of  all  the  old  channels,  those  that  are  the 
olde.st  and  that  are  invariably  on  the  bedrock  must  surely  contain  gold 
in  sufficient  amount  to  justify  i)rospecting  and  working.  Top  wash 
channels,  or  sometimes  a  stratum  of  gravel  in  the  channel  many  feet 
above  the  bedrock,  are  found  to  contain  sufficient  gold  to  make  drifting 
profitable,  but  such  instancas  are  not  common.  Not  all  of  the  oldest 
channels  contain  pay  leads,  although  they  almo.st  invariably  contain  some 
gold.  The  pay  lead  in  these  cliannels  is  often  an  uncertain  quantity. 
It  takes  its  own  course  ])etween  the  rims,  and  sometimes  on  them.  The 
pay  lead  is  usually  close  to  bedrock,  and  if  the  latter  is  soft  or  creviced, 
it  is  in  it.  Sometimes  the  pay  lead  is  tlie  full  width  of  the  chanuel. 
More  often  it  is  only  a  conqjaratively  narrow  line,  meandering  through 
it,  first  abutting  on  one  rim,  then  on  the  other.  It  is  not  always  con- 
tinuous, being  broken  by  barren  places.  Great  variations  in  gold  yield 
will  occur  in  the  same  lead,  due  partly  to  the  currents  of  the  ohi  stream 
and  partl>-  to  the  fact  that  the  heavy  gold  has  not  been  moved  very  far 


52  CALIFORNIA   STATE    MINING   BUREAU. 

from  the  location  of  its  original  matrix.  Occasionally,  large  bodies  of 
pay  are  fonnd  on  the  rims  at  a  considerable  distance  from  the  bottom 
of  the  channel.  These  were  probably  the  deposits  on  the  old  channel 
beds  which  have  been  left  above  as  the  cut  became  deeper.  The  nature 
of  the  bedrock  bears  some  relation  to  the  gold  distribution.  A  soft 
slate  is  favorable,  the  gold  being  found  in  it  to  the  depth  of  a  foot  or 
more.  A  rock  full  of  seams  and  crevices  and  with  a  slightly  irregular 
surface  is  better  than  a  hard,  smooth,  water-worn  surface. 

In  prospecting  for  a  channel,  if  an  inlet,  or  an  outlet,  or  a  break  can 
be  found,  the  location  of  the  channel  is  not  difficult.  The  principal 
difficulty  to  be  contended  with  is  the  determining  of  the  rise  of  the  rim 
above  the  channel  bed.  A  cross  rim  at  an  outlet  or  an  inlet  often  shows 
by  the  richness  of  the  gravel  on  it  that  it  was  originally  part  of  the  bed 
of  the  channel.  * 

Whether  the  point  of  opening  is  at  an  outlet  or  inlet  necessarily  has 
considerable  to  do  with  both  the  prospecting  and  final  opening  of  the 
mine.  An  outlet  is  naturally  the  most  favorable  point  from  which  to 
open  a  drift  mine.  Prospecting  from  an  outlet  requires  much  less 
work  to  obtain  the  necessary  information  on  which  to  open  the  mine 
than  where  the  prospecting  is  from  an  inlet.  The  proper  method  of 
prospecting  is  to  run  a  tunnel  through  the  rim  as  near  as  can  be  deter- 
mined in  the  direction  of  the  channel  and  far  enough  down  in  the  rim 
so  that  when  it  breaks  through  the  bedrock  it  will  be  in  the  l)ed  of  the 
channel.  "When  prospecting  at  an  inlet,  the  tunnel  should  lie  some  dis- 
tance under  the  bed.  There  is  always  a  pos.sil)ility  that  the  prospect 
tunnel  may  be  lower  than  the  channel  or  it  may  miss  in  direction  and 
run  off  to  one  side  in  the  rim  of  the  channel.  To  guard  against  possible 
mistakes,  it  is  advisable  to  make  an  upraise  from  the  tunnel  as  soon 
as  it  is  believed  to  be  through  the  rim. 

The  development  being  at  an  outlet,  the  channel  will  be  prospected 
and  worked  into  on  the  ascending  grade,  assuring  the  most  economical 
and  perfect  drainage  At  an  inlet  the  prospect  tunnel  must  be  run  rela- 
tively lower,  and  therefore  longer,  in  order  to  gain  on  the  descending 
grade  of  the  channel  The  channel  once  found,  it  must  be  followed 
further  and  its  grade  determined  with  all  possible  accuracy  before  open- 
ing the  mine  for  work.  In  the  case  of  a  breakout,  probably  the  surest 
method  of  prospecting  is  to  either  run  a  slope  on  the  pitch  of  the  rim 
or  to  sink  a  vertical  shaft  on  the  presumed  line  of  the  channel.  When 
the  bed  of  the  channel  is  located,  it  is  prospected  by  cross  and  lateral 
drifts  to  ascertain  the  width,  direction,  and  grade;  and  the  location, 
extent,  and  character  of  the  pay  lead. 

The  principal  difficulty  to  be  contended  with  in  prospecting  is  the 
drainage  of  the  underground  water.  If  the  tunnel  be  too  high,  and 
it  is  necessary  to  sink  shafts  or  inclines  from  it  to  the  channel,  a  flow 
of  water,  which  may  greatly  increase  the  cost  of  handling  material  and 
which  may  even  render  it  impossible  to  get  to  the  bottom  of  the 
channel,  is  apt  to  be  encountered.  It  is  then  necessary  to  run  a  lower 
tunnel  to  secure  drainage. 

All  channels  have  not  outlets,  inlets,  or  breakouts  that  can  be  found 
and  identified  as  such.  In  the  case  of  a  channel  in  which  there  is  only 
a  thin  body  of  gravel  covered  by  many  hundred  feet  of  lava,  the  dis- 
covery of  exposed  gravel  is  a  very  difficult  matter.     Often  it  may  be 


GOLD   PLACERS   OF    CALIFORNLV.  53 

necessary  to  spend  much  money  in  prospecting  to  determine  the  loca- 
tion of  such  a  channel. 

It  is  only  since  the  origin  and  character  of  the  gold-bearing  deposits 
have  been  understood  that  engineering  science  to  locate  and  develop 
them  has  been  available.  At  first  its  application  was  quite  simple  in 
character,  consisting  of  obtaining  the  grade  and  direction  of  a  channel 
deposit  already  developed.  By  this  means  a  point  of  probable  location 
in  its  projection  was  prospected  by  means  of  a  tunnel  or  shaft.  The 
Hidden  Treasure  Mine  in  Placer  County  was  determined  in  this 
manner. 

Ordinarily,  the  location  of  a  channel,  in  the  absence  of  surface  indi- 
cations, is  a  complex  problem  involving  a  survey  and  engineering 
examination  of  a  large  territory.  The  initial  step  is  an  accurate  topo- 
graphical survey  of  the  countr3^  This  consists,  fir.st,  of  transit  lines 
following  the  line  of  contact  between  the  rim  rock  and  the  lava  or 
gravel,  as  the  case  may  be.  If  this  can  be  made  continuous  all  around 
the  presumed  channel  so  much  the  better.  If,  as  is  usually  the  case, 
this  would  include  a  greater  area  of  country  than  is  necessary,  the 
transit  lines  follow  the  rim  lines  on  both  sides  of  the  ridge  and  are 
connected  by  cross  transit  lines;  also  connected  Avith  these  are  transit 
surveys  of  the  underground  works  in  adjacent  property.  All  of  these 
lines  are  leveled  and  a  plat  is  made. 

The  problem  of  the  location  of  the  channel  then  resolves  itself  to  the 
determination  of  tlie  lowest  point  of  depression  between  the  two  rims. 
If  the  distance  apart  of  the  rim  lines  is  not  too  great,  the  prospecting 
problem  is  simplified.  If  it  is,  the  problem  is  complicated  on  account  of 
the  possibility  of  there  being  two  or  three  channels  with  bedrock  ridges 
between. 

"In  projecting-  trial  locations  for  prospecting-  work,  the  work  ni  adjacent  mines  i.s 
of  great  assistance  because  some  fair  degree  of  accuracy  can  be  used  in  determining 
the  rate  of  pitch  of  the  rims,  the  grade  of  the  channel,  its  relative  elevation  and 
approximate  direction.  With  these  data  trial  cross-sections  from  rim  to  rim  at 
several  points  can  be  projected  on  the  plat.  If  the  adjacent  workings  do  not  give 
data  that  can  be  utilized  for  this  purpose,  it  becomes  necessary  to  assume  a  mean 
rate  of  pitch  for  the  rims  and  a  grade  for  the  channels.  With  these,  trial  cross- 
sections  are  constructed  as  before,  possibly  several  trial  values  being  tested,  till 
the  cross-sections  locate  the  several  possible  points  of  channel  depression  with  a 
fair  degree  of  possible  relation  between  themselves.  Formulating  the  method  of 
determining  the  channel  point  in  a  cross-section  line,  the  rate  of  pitch  of  both  rims 
being  assumed  the  same,  it  is  as  follows :  First,  the  horizontal  distance  from  the 
surface  point  of  either  rim  to  the  channel  point  is  one-half  of  the  horizontal  distance 
from  the  first  point  to  the  point  of  intersection  of  the  horizontal  distance  line  lying 
in  the  plane  of  the  cross-section,  with  the  bedrock  slope  line,  projected  if  necessary, 
of  the  other  rim  in  the  same  plane.  Second,  difference  of  elevation  between  either 
rim  point  and  the  channel  point  is  the  horizontal  distance  first  obtained  for  the 
same  rim  point  multiplied  by  the  tangent  of  the  angle  of  pitch  of  rim.  From  the 
plat  the  distance  between  the  two  rim  points  can  be  scaled  on  the  cross-section  line, 
also  the  difference  of  elevation  between  the  same  two  points  can  be  taken  from  the 
contours,  interpolations  being  made  if  needed,  as  it  is  not  necessary  to  place  them 
clo-ser   than   twenty  feet  apart. 

"E.Kcept  in  probably  wide  channels  (two  hundred  feet  and  upwards)  no  attention 
need  be  paid  to  the  width  of  the  channel  bed  in  determining  the  elevation  of  channel 
points  from  the  trial  cross-sections.  In  practice  the  graphical  method  of  obtaining 
these  points  is  sufficiently  accurate,  and  has  the  advantage  of  rapidity.  With  the 
trial  channel  points  platted,  a  profile  of  the  presumed  bed  of  the  channel  can  be 
made,  using  the  absolute  elevations  obtained  from  the  rim  points,  and  its  probability 
determined.  Possibly,  several  sets  of  projections  and  profiles  have  to  be  made  before 
the  one  of  the  greatest  probability  is  determined  on.  From  the  platted  line  of  the 
presumed  location  of  the  channel  and  the  surface  contours,  the  most  available  line 
for  a  tunnel,  or  the  best  point  from  which  to  sink  a  shaft,  can  be  readily  located; 
also  the  approximate  length  of  the  one  or  the  depth  of  the  other  can  be  determined. 
The  subsequent  location  of  the  tunnel  line  or  shaft  point  on  the  ground  is  a  simple 
matter.  Except  under  exceptional  conditions,  the  tunnel  line  is  always  selected,  the 
point  of  entrance  on  the  surface  being  so  placed  that  when  the  tunnel  has  been  run 
with  a  light  ascending  grade  to  the  pi-esumed  channel  line,  it  will  be  from  twenty  to 
forty  feet  below  the  bed  of  the  channel.  In  order  to  avoid  being  too  high  with  the 
tunnel,   it  is  advisable  to  run   it  so  as  to  come  at  least  twenty   feet  lower  than   the 


54  CALIFORNIA   STATE    MINING   BUREAU. 

trial  location  of  the  bed  of  the  channel.  Thi.s  additional  depth  is  utilizable  for 
working  down  stream.  To  give  a  greater  asurance  of  certainty  as  to  the  correctness 
of  the  location  of  the  channel,  where  the  construction  of  long  and  co.stly  tunnels  is 
necessary,  it  is  recommended  that  bore  holes  be  drilled  to  the  bedrock  on  the  pre- 
sumed line  of  tlie  channel,  and  on  a  cross-section  line  close  to  where  the  tunnel  line  is 
located.  Their  depth  being  known,  the  shape  and  elevation  of  the  bedrock  can  be 
compared  with  the  apiiroximations  and  estimates  of  the  surveys  and  plat,  and 
inaccuracies  in  the  location  of  the  channel  corrected.  After  the  mine  is  opened,  the 
bore  holes  can  be  used  for  ventilation.  Independent  of  any  elaborate  topographical 
surveying  (as  the  writer  is  advised),  a  number  of  such  holes  were  drilled  on  a 
mining  claim  near  Gibsonville,  in  Sierra  County,  and  the  location  of  the  channel 
line  determined.  Subsequent  development  by  a  tunnel  verified  the  correctness  of 
the    location. 

"The  writer  has  employed  this  method  of  engineering  detennination  successfully 
In  a  number  of  instances.  It  was  also  applied  by  Ross  E.  Brown,  E.  M.,  to  locate 
the  up-stream  portion  of  the  cross  blue-lead  channel  first  discovered  in  the  Mountain 
Gate  Mine  at  Damascus,  and  already  referred  to  in  this  article.  The  discovery  point 
was  a  mile  and  a  quarter  underground,  and  so  situated  that,  thougli  its  course, 
elevation,  and  grade  were  determined,  the  pitch  of  the  rims  could  not  be.  A  mile  to 
the  northeast  the  north  line  of  contact  between  the  bedrock  and  cement  was  picked 
up.  ti^aced,  and  surveyed  for  eight  miles  up  the  ridge  known  as  the  Porks  House 
Divide.  The  corresponding  south  line  of  contact  was  traced  and  surveyed  the  same 
distance,  the  two  lines  being  about  8000  feet  apart.  On  the  south  line  traces  of 
small  channels  and  one  important  one  in  the  Dam  claim  (probably  an  inlet  to  this 
channel)  opened  by  a  tunnel  for  several  thousand  feet,  all  being  evidently  inlets  of 
tributaries  to  the  Mountain  Gate  channel,  were  found.  No  main  inlet  of  the  main 
channel  on  either  side  of  the  divide  was  discovered,  but  the  survey  connections  made 
from  the  underground  discovery  point  in  the  Mountain  Gate  Mine  with  the  under- 
ground works  of  the  Golden  Fleece  Mine,  five  miles  to  the  northeast,  indicated  that 
the  channel  in  the  latter  was  the  continuation  of  that  in  the  former.  The  problem 
was  to  locate  the  line  of  channel  in  the  intervening  country  between  these  two 
points.  These  underground  works  being  platted,  the  approximate  distance  bv  the 
presumed  channel  line  between  the  two  points  was  obtained,  and  this,  with  the  differ- 
ence of  elevation,  gave  a  mean  trial  grade  from  which  the  approximate  elevation 
of  the  intermediate  points  could  be  determined.  Tlie  location  of  these  points  between 
the  rims  was  determined  by  assuming  a  trial  degree  of  pitch  for  the  bedrock  of 
both  rims,  and  locating  them  accordingly.  A  check  on  the  value  given  to  the  pitch  of 
the  rims  was  had  in  the  comparison  of  the  figures  of  elevation  of  the  bed  of  the 
channel  in  the  same  cross-section  obtained,  respectively,  from  the  mean  trial  grade 
of  the  bed,  and  from  the  assumed  mean  pitch  of  the  rims.  The  closer  these  two 
figures  of  elevation  were  to  each  other,  the  safer  was  the  projection.  In  addition 
to  the  preceding,  other  data  obtained  by  the  survey  coincided  in  locating  the  channel 
line  nearer  to  tlie  north  line  of  contact.  Finally,  a  satisfactory  projection  having 
been  made,  the  shortest  line  of  a  tunnel  was  located  from  the  north  face  of  the 
ridge,   the  entrance   being  in   a  sharp,  precipitous  ravine. 

"The  running  of  the  tunnel  showed  that  the  true  location  of  the  channel  line  had 
been  very  closely  approximated  to  at  that  point  by  the  trial  projection.  Tlie  first 
upraise  made  at  the  2400-foot  station  broke  tlirough  the  bedrock  directly  against  the 
cement,  about  40  feet  up.  The  tunnel  was  then  continued  to  the  3450-foot  station, 
and  another  upraise  made.  This  last  disclosed  so  great  a  rise  in  the  bedrock  from 
the  first  upraise  that  a  third  upraise  was  made  at  the  2000-foot  station,  which  at 
15  feet  lip  broke  through  the  bedrock  into  gravel  containing  gold  in  paying  quantities. 
This  point  was  on  the  north  edge  of  the  channel.  Further  development  located  the 
center  about  the  2100-foot  station.  The  success  of  this  work  led  to  the  application 
of  the  same  method  of  engineering  investigation  to  a  study  of  what  is  locally  known 
in  Placer  County  as  the  Forest  Hill  Divide. 

"Though  the  surveys  and  necessary  investigation  are  by  no  means  complete  yet, 
sufficient  has  already  been  established  to  prove  that  the  channel  just  described  as 
being  found  in  the  Mountain  Gate  and  Red  Point  mines  is  continuous  through  almost 
the  entire  length  of  the  Forest  Hill  Divide,  from  Hogs  Back,  ten  miles  northeast  of 
Damascus,  to  Peckham  Hill,  three  miles  southeast  of  Todds  Valley,  a  total  distance 
by  the  Hne  of  the  channel  of  about  thirty  miles.  On  this  channel,  in  addition  to 
the  already  noted  mines,  are  undoubtedly  the  Turkey  Hill  Mine  (now  closed),  the 
Paragon  at  Bath,  the  Dardanelles  below  Forest  Hill,  the  celebrated  Mayflower,  two 
miles  north  of  that  town,  and  the  Gray  Eagle  at  Spring  Garden,  two  rriiles  west  of 
Todds  Valley.  These  at  this  time  are  the  mines  producing ;  in  addition  are  many 
other  claims  in  a  more  or  less  undeveloped  condition,  and  some  practically  worked 
out  after  yielding  enormous  amounts  of  gold.  Among  the  undeveloped  or  partially 
developed  mines  are  the  Hogs  Back  Consolidated,  Indian  Springs,  Golden  Fleece, 
Adams  &  Sellier,  Georgia  Consolidated,  Baker  Divide,  Excelsior,  Mountain,  Spring 
Garden,  and  Big  Channel.  Among  those  that  have  yielded  largely,  but  that  are  not 
worked  to  any  extent,  are  the  Gove,  Maine,  Independent,  Rough  and  Ready,  Jenny 
Lind,  and  Mountain,  all  lying  under  the  town  of  Forest  Hill.  This  main  channel 
seems  to  have  had  many  tributaries,  all  rich  in  gold,  and  all,  so  far  as  determined, 
coming  in  from  the  east.  On  them  are  located  many  mines  that  have  yielded  large 
amounts  of  gold,  notably  those  above  Michigan  Bluff  and  on  the  Deadwood  Divide. 
At  the  present  time  the  Dam  Mine,  south  of  the  Red  Point,  is  the  most  important. 

"The  advantages  of  the  engineering  method  of  channel  location  over  the  uncertain 
haphazard  work  of  the  early  miners,  are  such  as  warant  its  application  in  every 
locality  where  drift  mining  is  carried  on,  and  further,  to  the  examination  of  ail 
unprospected  ground  in  which  it  is  possible  for  an  auriferous  gravel  deposit  to 
exist.  By  its  use  it  is  possible  to  determine  in  advance  of  doing  any  underground 
work  on  the  claim : 

1.  The  approximate  location  of  the  line  of  the  bed  of  the  channel. 

2.  The  approximate  elevation  of  the  bed  at  any  desired  point. 


GOLD   PLACERS   OF    CALIFORNIA.  55 

3.  The  location  of  inlets,  outlets,  or  breakouts,  and  a  reasonable  certainty  of 
distinguishing  between  them. 

4.  If  inlet,  outlet,  or  breakout,  the  probable  length  of  rim  to  bo  run  through  and 
the   depth   at   which   it   must   be   penetrated. 

5.  If  no  inlet,  outlet,  or  breakout,  then  the  nearest  point  of  the  channel  line  to  the 
surface   for   tunnel    or   shaft,    as   may    be   most   desirable. 

6.  The  determination  of  the  size  of  the  channel  and  the  probable  extent  of  its  pay 
lead.  This  being  of  advantage  in  estimating  the  probability  of  yield  sufficient  to 
warrant  the  necessary  outlay  of  capital  in  development. 

7.  The  tunnel  or  shaft  can  be  so  located  as  to  have  the  shortest  possible  length 
or  depth  with  the  greatest  possible  certainty  of  finding  the  channel,  and  of  thereafter 
being   permanently   utilizable   for   working  the   mine. 

S.  The  preceding  make  it  possible  to  estimate  in  advance  the  probable  expenditure 
that  will  be  necessary  to  open  up  the  mine,  and  to  avoid  any  unnece.ssarv  expendi- 
ture, thus  a.ssuring  the  greatest  possible  economy  of  opening  and  of  working. 

"The  entire  drift  mining  district  is  covered  with  the  evidences  of  failures  to  reach 
the  buried  gold-bearing  gravels.  Hundreds  of  tunnels,  slopes,  and  shafts  abandoned 
after  the  expenditure  of  thousands  of  dollars,  are  silent  witnesses  to  the  inefficiency 
of  the  practice  of  the  early  miners  in  their  search  for  the  auriferous  gravel  deposits 
In  one  example  coming  under  the  observation  of  the  writer,  a  tunnel  was  run  800 
feet  into  the  bedrock  of  a  mountain,  the  tunnel  entrance  being  immediately  over  a 
small  channel,  when  an  engineer's  examination  would  have  shown,  first,  that  the 
location  of  the  channel  was  at  the  starting  point ;  second,  that  in  the  line  of  the 
tunnel  there  was  no  channel  for  two  miles  ;  and  third,  that  the  cement  relied  on  as 
a  channel  indication  was  only  a  shell  ten  feet  or  so  in  thickness  lying  on  the  sloping 
bedrock,  the  great  mass  of  it  having  been  eroded  by  the  present  river  cafion.  On 
the  same  channel,  containing  gold  only  in  sufficient  quantity  to  justify  development 
on  a  small  scale  commensurate  with  its  probable  yield,  through  imperfect  knowledge 
of  it,  was  expended  in  the  aggregate  $150,000.  After  the  expenditure  of  the  larger 
portion  of  this  amount,  an  engineering  examination  disclosed,  what  it  could  equally 
well  have  done  before,  that  the  expenditure  of  only  a  fraction  of  that  amount  was 
warranted  by  the  probability  of  return  :  and  with  reference  to  the  work  done,  that 
certainly  $60,000  of  expenditure  could  have  been  saved.  The  gold  yield  would  very 
nearly,   if  not  entirely,  have  balanced  the  other  $90,000  expended. 

"The  cost  of  an  engineering  examination  by  the  methods  described  varies, 
dependent  on  the  circumstances  of  the  particular  mining  claim  it  is  desired  to 
develop,  from  $500  to  $5,000,  sometimes  exceeding  the  latter  figure.  Under  ordinary 
conditions  $1,000  is  a  safe  estimate  for  the  services  of  a  competent  engineer  and  the 
necessai-j-  field  assistance.  So  interdependent  are  all  of  the  drift  mines,  that  the 
owners  of  adjacent  mines,  from  the  in.spiration  of  self-interest,  should  not 
hesitate  to  render  all  assistance  in  their  power  to  this  kind  of  investigation.  The 
cost  of  running  a  tunnel  will  average,  under  all  conditions,  about  $12  a  foot,  so  tliat 
the  saving  of  80  feet  in  the  length  of  a  tunnel  will  balance  $1,000  of  expenditure 
for  an  engineering  investigation.  The  sinking  of  a  deep  .shaft  will  average  upward 
of  $30  a  foot — a  saving  of  33  feet  in  depth  will  balance  the  same  $1,000.  Aside 
from  this,  the  certainty  that  the  first  tunnel  w^ill  develop  the  ground,  and  be 
sufficiently  low  to  drain  it,  will  counterbalance  several  thousand  dollars  expense  of 
preliminary  investigation.  In  sinking  a  shaft,  the  knowledge  of  the  probable  depth 
carries  wMth  it  the  possibility  of  adjusting  from  the  start  the  hoisting  and  pumping 
plant  to  the  ultimate  possible  demands  that  may  be  made  on  it.  In  the  development 
of  a  mine,  in  the  knowledge  of  the  writer,  a  large  sum  was  expended  in  the  sink- 
ing of  prospect  shafts,  and  a  further  much  larger  amount,  unnecessarily,  in  a  main 
working  shaft,  by  reason  of  adding  piecemeal  to  the  hoisting  and  pumping  plant 
from  time  to  time,  as  the  demands  on  it  increased,  all  of  w-hich,  in  the  aggregate, 
amounting  to  at  least  $10,000,  might  have  been  saved  by  the  expenditure  of  $500 
for  a  preliminary  engineering  investigation,  for  which  the  conditions  were  more  than 
ordinarily  favorable." 

Haviniu'  discovered  the  location  and  extent  of  the  mine  by  prospect- 
ing, and  the  probable  yield  of  its  pay  lead  having  been  estimated,  the 
question  of  costs  is  the  next  thing  for  discussion.  Cost  is  made  up  of 
the  following  items : 

1.  Prospecting,  which  includes  all  the  preliminary  work. 

2.  The  cost  of  opening  the  main  working  tunnel  or  shaft,  its  mainte- 
nance and  extension,  and  the  cost  of  all  working  appliances  and 
buildings. 

3.  The  cost  of  mining,  which  includes  tiie  cost  of  drifts  and  gang- 
ways, breasting  out  the  gravel,  conveying  it  to  the  surface,  timbering 
the  workings,  ventilating  and  draining. 

4.  The  cost  of  obtaining  the  gold  from  the  gravel  after  it  is  l)roiight 
to  the  surface. 

The  first  two  of  these  items  may  be  called  the  construction  account, 
which  is  closed  when  the  mine  is  ready  to  produce.  The  last  two  items 
are  the  cost  of  mining  or  running  expen.ses. 


56  CALIFORNIA    STATE    MINING   BUREAU. 

The  construction  account  should  aggregate  as  small  an  amount  as 
possible,  consistent  Avith  the  proper  opening  of  the  mine.  For  the 
permanent  working  opening  of  the  mine  a  tunnel,  shaft,  or  slope  is 
necessary. .  The  tunnel  is  the  most  advisable  construction,  where  possi- 
ble. It  should  be  run  so  as  to  be  under  the  bed  of  the  channel  at  the 
lowest  point  which  it  is  designed  to  mine.  Working  up  stream  in  a 
channel  with  a  uniform  grade,  this  main  tunnel  can  usually  be  run  on 
the  surface  of  the  bedrock.  "Working  down  stream,  the  tunnel  is  run  in 
the  bedrock  underneath  or  in  the  rim  to  one  side  of  the  channel.  In 
cases  where  an  adit  tunnel  is  necessary  to  reach  the  line  of  the  channel, 
its  direction  should  be  at  right  angles  to  the  presumed  line  until  it 
reaches  it,  whence  its  direction  and  grade  are  controlled  by  the  channel 
to  a  considerable  extent.  Grades  may  vary  from  one-fourth  of  an  inch 
to  a  rod  to  ten  inches  to  a  rod,  the  practice  being  determined  by  the 
character  of  the  track  rail,  the  weight  of  the  cars,  and  the  power 
employed  to  take  them  in  and  out  of  the  mine. 

Dimensions  of  the  tunnel  vary  greatly.  This  depends  altogether 
upon  the  conditions  which  govern  the  mining  operation.  A  main 
working  tunnel  may  have  dimensions  of  eight  to  ten  feet  in  width  at 
the  bottom  and  seven  to  eight  feet  in  clear  height.  The  difference  in 
the  cost  of  timbering  between  a  large  tunnel  and  a  small  one  is  very 
little.  The  speed  with  which  a  tunnel  can  be  run  and  its  cost  are 
dependent  upon  the  kind. of  rock  penetrated.  Closer  estimates  can  be 
made  on  the  cost  of  tunnels  run  liy  machine  drill  than  those  run  by 
hand. 

The  final  charge  against  a  construction  account  is  for  the  surface 
'])lant  to  recover  the  gold.  Should  the  gravel  be  soft  and  uncemented, 
a  dump  with  sluices  and  a  water  supply,  under  a  small  head,  constitute 
the  plant.  Should  the  gravel  prove  hard  and  cemented,  it  may  be 
worked  in  the  stamp  batteries  of  a  quartz  mill.  The  gravel  dump  is 
usually  piled  near  the  tunnel  entrance.  It  consists  of  a  heavy  planked 
floor,  having  two  slopes,  one  from  the  sides  inward  to  a  sluice  box 
running  through  the  middle,  the  other  with  the  grade  of  the  sluice  box. 
This  flooring  should  be  sheathed  so  that  it  can  be  renewed  when  worn 
out.  From  the  edges  of  the  flooring,  walls  are  built  up,  the  area  of 
the  flooring  and  the  height  of  the  w^alls  being  regulated  by  the  desired 
capacity  of  the  dump.  For  mines  from  which  large  amounts  of  gravel 
are  taken  daily,  a  discharging  arrangement  for  the  cars  at  the  dump 
is  of  great  advantage. 

The  sluice  boxes  beginning  in  the  dump  are  continued  beyond  it  a 
convenient  distance  and  discharge  into  the  ravine,  in  which  are  placed 
additional  boxes,  undercurrents,  and  tailing  dams,  all  designed  to 
recover  the  fine  gold  that  passes  the  initial  string  of  boxes.  The 
special  utility  of  the  dams  is  in  impounding  the  tailings  until  they  are 
slacked  sufficiently  to  free  the  gold  cemented  to  the  matrix.  The  boxes 
are  12  x  16,  or  24  inches  wide  and  of  equal  depth,  and  have  a  grade  of 
10  to  18  inches  in  twelve  feet,  depending  upon  the  character  of  the 
values  and  the  amount  of  water  used.  The  bottoms  are  fitted  with 
riffle  bars  that  can  be  removed  and  reset  rapidly. 

The  water  supply  is  usually  provided  for  by  reservoiring  the  mine 
drainage,  as  well  as  what  surface  drainage  is  available.  From  this 
reservoir,  an  iron  pipe  goes  to  the  lower  end  of  the  dump  and  is  con- 


GOLD   PLACERS   OF    CALIFORNLV.  57 

trolled  with  a  gate.    The  nozzle  for  sluicing  the  dump  is  connected  with 
this  pipe  by  canvas  hose  for  the  i>urpose  of  flexibility. 

The  opening  and  working  of  a  drift  mine  through  a  shaft  is  only 
advisable  under  conditions  which  make  a  tunnel  impracticable.  It  may 
be  that  a  shaft  of  no  great  depth,  comparatively  cheap  and  rapid  of 
construction,  is  possible  where  it  would  require  a  very  costly  tunnel  to 
reach  the  same  gravel  deposit. 

"Where  the  mine  must  be  opened  by  a  shaft  it  Is  advisable  to  make  the  construc- 
tion thorough  and  permanent  from  the  beginning.  The  shaft  point  being  located  by 
the  preliminary  engineering  investigation  and  prospecting,  the  sinking  is  done,  as  far 
as  practicable,  with  horse  power  hoisting  gear,  the  influx  of  water  being  taken  out 
by  the  bucket  as  far  down  as  it  can  be  done  without  delaying  the  work  of  sinking. 
This  point  will  be  from  40  to  140  feet  in  depth  from  the  surface.  The  power  plant 
for  hoisting  and  pumping  is  then  set  up,  being  proportioned,  so  far  as  hoisting  Is 
concerned,  to  lifting  the  gravel  from  the  estimated  depth  the  shaft  will  have  when 
completed,  and  for  pumping  the  probable  amount  of  water  that  may  be  encountered 
when  the  mine  is  fully  opened,  a  considerable  margin  of  safety  being  advisable  in 
providing  for  this,  so  that  there  will  be  no  straining  of  the  machinery.  An  addi- 
tional margin  of  power  is  provided  for  to  secure  ventilation.  Of  course,  wherever 
obtainable,  water  power  is  used,  being  far  more  economical.  Most  of  the  existing 
plants  are.  however,  steam,  the  shafts  being  on  the  summits  of  the  ridges,  where 
it   is   not   possible   to   get   the  necessary   pressure   for   use   of  water. 

"While  sinking  the  shaft  and  prospecting,  a  bucket  can  be  used  to  best  advantage, 
in  removing  excavated  material  ;  afterwards  in  mining  a  cage  on  which  a  car  can 
be  lifted  is  preferable,  as  it  saves  one  and  possibly  two  handlings  of  the  gravel. 
The  preferable  style  of  pump  is  the  Cornish,  both  in  sinking,  as  most  rapidly  adjust- 
able to  the  conditions  of  changing  depth,  and  afterwards  as  being  able  to  control 
an  increased  flow  by  increase  of  speed  alone,  and  as  having  less  liability  to  break- 
ages. The  influx  of  water  comes  from  the  several  gravel  or  diluvial  strata  passed 
through  in  sinking.  This  can  be  cut  off  from  the  bottom  of  the  shaft  by  sumps,  and 
pump  stations  placed  where  the  flow  is  cut  by  the  shaft.  The  shaft  should  be  built 
in  two  compartments,  one  for  the  hoist  and  the  other  for  the  pump  and  man-way. 
It  is  timbered  with  framed  square  timbers,  lagged  on  the  outside  and  boarded  on 
the  inside  in  the  hoisting  compartment.  The  size  in  the  clear  is  four  and  one-half  by 
nine  feet  or  five  by  ten  feet.  The  size  of  the  framed  timbers  is  eight,  ten,  twelve, 
or  fourteen  inches  square,  and  the  sets  are  placed  four,  five,  or  six  feet  between 
centers,  as  controlled  by  the  character  of  the  ground  passed  through.  The  lagging 
is  two  inches  thick.  In  lava  there  is  no  strain  on  the  shaft,  but  some  of  the  gravel 
and  sand  strata  cut  through  are  more  or  less  liable  to  loosen  and  some  of  the 
slightly  indurated  clays  are  apt  to  swell.  The  cost  of  sinking  a  shaft  can  be  safely 
estimated  for  the  first  fifty  feet.  $10  a  foot;  for  the  second  fifty  feet,  $20  to  $30  a 
foot ;  for  the  next  one  hundred  feet,  including  the  power,  hoisting,  and  pumping 
plant,  $50  to  $60  a  foot,  and  thence  up  to  four  hundred  feet  depth,  from  $60  to 
$75   a  foot. 

"Though  a  favorite  method  of  opening  a  mine  by  the  first  drift  miners,  a  slope  is 
the  least  advisable  now,  and  would  only  be  employed  under  special  conditions  of 
economy,  as.  for  example,  in  working  from  a  flat,  too  extensive  to  be  tunneled  under, 
to  a  channel  underneath  a  precipitous  mountain  slope,  which  would  involve  too  deep 
a  vertical  shaft ;  or  in  mining  from  an  inlet  where  neither  tunnel  nor  shaft  is 
practicable.  Usually  the  conditions  that  indicate  a  slope  as  the  most  direct  method 
of  opening  the  mine  can  be  better  satisfied  by  a  shaft  and  thence  a  tunnel  from  its 
bottom.  In  practice,  if  an  extensive  body  of  pay  gravel  is  developed  by  a  shaft  or 
slope,  a  tunnel  is  subsequentlv  run  to  mine  it.  This  was  done  in  the  Derbec  Mine, 
near  North  Bloomfleld,  Nevada  County,  a  shaft  367  feet  deep  and  a  steam  power  plant 
being  replaced  by  a  2000-foot  tunnel.  Also  in  the  Mayflower  Mine,  at  Forest  Hill, 
a  tunnel  nearly  6000  feet  long  has  been  run  to  replace  the  shaft  through  which 
the  discovery  was  made.  At  the  present  time  no  drift  mine  in  the  state  is  being 
worked  through  a  shaft.  A  few  are  prospecting  through  shafts,  with  the  intention  of 
running  tunnels  if  a  sufficient  amount  of  pay  gravel  is  developed.  The  surface 
arrangements  for  working  the  gravel  after  it  comes  from  the  mine  are  the  same 
in   the   case   of  either   shaft   or   slope   as   already   described   for  a   tunnel. 

"The  preceding  pages  have  considered  the  dead  work  of  development  specially 
chargeable  to  construction  account.  W'ith  its  completion  this  account  is  closed,  and 
all  subsequent  work  and  expenditure  is  a  charge  in  a  new  account :  the  running- 
expense  of  working  the  mine.  The  expediency  of  the  expenditure  of  the  capital 
used  in  the  construction  account  must  be  determined  on  in  advance  from  the  results 
of  the  preliminary  engineering  investigation  and  prospecting.  Once  laid  out.  its 
return,  as  before  noted,  is  from  the  net  yield  of  the  mine  over  its  running  expenses. 
These  running  expenses  come   under  the  .several  heads,  as  follows  : 

1.  Opening  up  the  channel  or  pay  lead  by  main  tunnel,  drifts,  and  gangway's. 
■  Prospecting  for  pay   lead  when   it   is  lost. 

2.  Breaking  out  the  pay  gravel. 

3.  Timbering. 

4.  Drainage. 

5.  Ventilation. 

6.  Track,    switches,    upraises,    and    dumps    in    the    mine. 

7.  Cars   and  motive   power  for  moving  the   gravel   out   of  the   mine. 

8.  Working  the  gravel  after  being  taken  out  of  the  mine. 

"The  main  tunnel,  when  in  the  channel  and  pay  lead,  is  constructed  in  larger  dimen- 
sions and  more  carefully  tlian  the  drifts  and  gangways  only  intended  for  temporary 
service.     If  timbered,  the  best  timbers  are  used  and  the  work  of  setting  them  up  is 


58  CALIFORNIA   STATE    MINING   BUREAU. 

done  so  as  not  to  require  early  removal.  In  hard,  cemented  gravel,  requiring  blast- 
ing, the  drilling  is  single  or  double-handed,  power  drills  not  being  used.  In  wide 
i-hannel.s,  a.s  a  precautii^n  against  possilile  caving,  a  pillar  of  solid  ground  is  left 
(jn  each  side  of  the  tunnel,  from  twenty  to  forty  feet  wide,  dependent  on  the 
stability  of  the  ground.  Where  the  working  tunnel  is  in  the  bedrock  underneath, 
following  the  line  of  the  channel,  the  pillar  need  not  be  left,  as  the  tunnel  in  the 
grtivel  becomes  a  main  drift  for  only  temporary  use  in  mining  the  ground  Ijetween 
its  connections  with  tlie  bedrock  tunnel.  These  connections  are  made  every 
200  to  4  00  feet,  as  determined  by  convenience  of  working.  The  main  tunnel  in  the 
gravel  on  the  bedrock,  and  also  the  bedrock  tunnel,  are  sometimes  affected  by  the 
swelling  of  the  bedrock,  usually  upward  in  direction.  Under  such  circumstances 
very  heavy  timljering  is  advisaljle,  and  the  floor  of  the  tunnel  must  be  cut  down 
from  time  to  time  in  order  to  keep  it  from  closing  up.  The  necessary  excavation 
can  be  done  without  interrupting  the  working  of  the  mine  or  the  use  of  the  tunnel, 
as  the  swelling  rock  is  always  soft  and  can  be  worked  out  without  using  powder. 
The  main  tunnel  is  kept  as  straight  as  possible  and  in  the  center  or  lowest  depres- 
sion of  the  channel.  Drifts  are  run  from  it  at  right  angles  to  the  rims  of  the 
channel  or  the  limits  of  the  pay  lead.  These  are  timbered  and  lagged  in  soft  ground, 
but  in  not  as  permanent  a  manner  as  the  main  tunnel.  The  distance  apart  of  these 
drifts  is  not  governed  by  any  special  rule.  Both  the  main  tunnel  and  cross  drifts 
are  used  to  prospect  the  ground  and  locate  the  pay  gravel.  This  will  control  the 
distance  to  some  extent,  but  not  absolutely.  In  the  pay  lead  the  distance  apart  is 
decided   so  as   to   secure   the   greatest   convenience   of  working. 

"In  the  Red  Point  and  Hidden  Treasure  mines,  in  which  the  pay  leads  are  very 
wide,  the  drifts  are  3  20  feet  apart.  In  wide  channels  these  drifts  are  connected 
by  gangways  parallel  to  the  main  tunnel,  the  practice  in  their  number  and 
distance  apart  being  equally  flexible.  In  the  Red  Point  Mine  they  are  run  65  feet 
apart,  thus  blocking  out  the  ground  to  l)e  mined  into  rectangles  120  feet  by  65  feet. 
In  the  Bald  Mountain  Mine,  at  Forest  City,  the  practice  was  to  run  both  the  drifts 
and  gangway  80  feet  apart,  leaving  a  pillar  of  40  feet  to  protect  the  main  tunnel. 
In  the  Hidden  Treasure  Mine  only  one  gangway  is  run,  connecting  the  ends  of  the 
drifts  at  the  extreme  limits  of  the  pay  lead  as  determined  by  the  prospecting  of 
the  gravel  from  the  drifts.  This  difference  in  practice  is  accountalsle  for  by  the 
difference  between  the  character  of  the  mining  ground  in  the  several  mines.  In  the 
Red  Point  it  is  hard  and  compact,  and  the  openings,  except  in  the  breasts,  require 
no  timbering;  the  gravel,  however,  is  not  regular  in  the  amount  of  the  gold  it 
contains,  and  closer  prospecting  is  advisable  to  cut  out  ground  too  poor  to  pay  for 
mining.  In  the  Hidden  Treasure  the  gravel  is  soft,  the  bedrock  swells,  and  every 
opening  requires  timbering  to  protect  it ;  therefore  only  absolutely  essential  openings 
are  made  for  working,  the  gravel  being  so  uniform  in  gold  yield  that  special  close 
prospecting  is  not  needed.  The  Bald  Mountain  gravel  was  soft  and  as  regular  in 
yield  as  in  the  Hidden  Treasure.  The  smaller  blocks  were  doiibtless  made  to 
facilitate  the  convenience  of  working,  only  four  and  one-half  feet  of  depth  of  ground 
being  taken  out.  The  cost  of  a  main  tunnel  in  the  gravel  drifts  and  gangways 
naturally  has  a  considerable  range  as  between  different  mines,  but  is  practically 
constant  in  the  same  mine.  In  hard,  compact  gravel,  requiring  blasting,  the  cost 
of  main  tunnel,  six  by  seven  feet,  will  be  from  $4  to  $7  a  foot ;  of  drifts  and  gang- 
ways five  bv  six  feet  or  six  by  six  feet,  from  $3  to  $5  a  foot.  In  gravel  not  as 
diflicult  to  drill  as  the  preceding,  but  still  requiring  blasting,  $3  to  $4  for  main  tunnel, 
and  $1.75  to  $3  for  drifts  and  gangways.  In  soft  gravel,  requiring  timbering,  the 
figures  are  about  the  sanie  as  those  last  given,  the  greater  penetrability  being  offset 
by  the  expense  of  timbering.  In  some  mines,  particularly  where  pay  gravel  on  the 
high  rock  of  the  rims  is  being  prospected  for,  the  drift  for  this  purpose  is  run  as 
wide  as  sixteen  feet  and  as  low  as  four  feet  in  height,  in  order  to  cover  as  much 
ground  as  possible,  and  move  as  little  waste.  This  method  is.  however,  unsystematic, 
and  not  to  be  recommended  for  large  mining  operations. 

"In  connection  with  the  opening  of  the  mine  and  mining  properly  belongs  the 
consideration  of  the  utility  of  trained  engineerirhg  skill  to  drift  mining.  Already  in 
this  connection,  with  the  preliminary  work  of  location  of  the  development  works, 
has  been  shown  the  value  of  this  skill.  In  connection  with  the  permanent  opening 
and  subsequent  working  it  is  of  equal  service  and  value.  Every  drift  mine  should 
have  an  accurate  working  map,  on  a  scale  of  twenty  or  forty  feet  to  an  inch, 
of  its  underground  workings  and  their  connections  with  the  surface.  On  this 
map  should  be  shown  the  tunnels,  shafts,  gangways,  rims  of  the  channel,  and 
blocks  of  ground  cut  out  for  breaking  down ;  also  the  location  of  air  and  water 
pipes  and  connections.  On  it  can  also  be  placed  the  figures  of  the  estimated  yield  of 
the  different  blocks  of  unbroken  ground,  as  determined  from  the  prospecting  and 
the  figures  of  actual  yield  after  working.  The  ground  worked  out  from  week  to 
w-eek  can  be  marked  on  the  plat  by  shading.  A  map  so  made  is  of  gi-eat  service  in 
directing  the  main  tunnel  and  prospecting  drifts  in  advance  of  the  ground  being 
mined  out,  and  in  making  air  and  working  connections.  To  facilitate  the  surveying, 
the  underground  foreman  should  set  points  at  all  angles  and  intersections  in  tunnels, 
drifts,  and  gangways.  The.se  are  best  set  overhead  in  the  roof,  as  less  likely  to  be 
disturbed  bv  the  mining  operators.  A  wooden  plug  is  first  firmly  driven  in  a  short 
drill  or  gad  hole,  into  this  a  ring  or  hook  from  which  a  plumb  or  lamp  can  be 
suspended. 

"The  breaking  out  of  the  gravel,  the  mine  being  opened  as  described,  is  done  from 
the  faces  of  the  gangways,  or  if  there  be  none,  from  the  faces  of  the  drifts  or  main 
tunnel.  In  the  Hidden  Treasure  Mine  the  side  of  the  gangway  toward  the  main 
tunnel  is  the  working  breast,  and  is  broken  down  l)y  the  miners  working  the  w^hole 
length  of  it  at  once  to  a  distance  of  eight  feet  from  the  gangway.  A  new  set  of 
posts,  parallel  to  the  gangwav,  with  caps  and  top  lagging,  is  put  in,  timbering  up 
the  ground  to  the  face.  The  track  is  then  moved  from  the  gangway  close  up  to  the 
breast,  and  more  ground  broken  out  as  described.  Not  all  of  the  gravel  is  taken  out 
of  the  mine,  but  only  the  fine,  the  boulders  being  piled  back  on  the  ground  from 
which  the  track  has  been  moved.      A  block  is  thus  worked  up  to  the  line  of  the  pillar 


GOI-D    PLACERS    OP    CALIFORNIA. 


59 


thirty  feet  from  tho  tunnel.  The  gravel  being  soft,  no  powder  is  used.  From  one 
to  two  feet  of  soft  bedrock  and  three  to  IVvur  feet  of  the  gravel  are  mined  out.  The 
method  de.seribed  was  also  u.sed  in  the  Bald  Mountain  Mine,  and,  in  fact,  is 
employed  in  all  the  large,  .systematically  operated  mines,  where  the  gravel  is  broken 
out  without  j)owdtr.  and  where  the  bedrock  is  soft  and  of  comparativelv  even 
surface.  In  mines  where  the  gravel  is  hard,  and  has  to  be  broken  out  with  powder, 
there  is  no  special  care  taken  to  keep  the  breast  faced  up  even,  it  being  most 
economically  broken  down  by  working  from  the  corners  of  the  blocks  The 
drifts  and  gangways  are  kept  open  and  the  track  is  not  changed,  but  the  broken 
out  gravel  is  shoveled  out  from  the  breast  to  the  cars  after  separating  the  large 
boulders.  To  make  the  shoveling  easier  temporary  plank  floors  are  put  in.  In 
ground  with  hard  bedrock  of  very  irregular  surface  the  track  is  not  moved  up 
to  the  working  face,  but  the  gravel  is  shoveled  out  to  it,  as  already  described. 
In  narrow  channels,  where  the  cross  drifts  are  not  connected  by  gangways,  the 
sides  of  the  drifts  and  main  tunnel,  preferably  the  former,  are  made  the  working 
breasts,   and  the   ground   broken   out   from    them. 

"A  method  in  common  u.se  among  many  of  the  miners  for  working  their  ground 
even  where  the  pay  lead  is  quite  wide,  is  to  mine  its  entire  width  in  one  semicircular 
or  curved  breast  without  running  a  main  tunnel  ahead  or  cross  drifts  from  it.  The 
unsystematic  and  unneces-sarily  costly  character  of  this  method  is  evident  There 
is  no  opportunity  to  protect  the  ground  in  advance  of  working  it,  and  there  are  no 
reserves  to  keep  up  the  output  while  exploring  through  a  barren  portion  of  the  lead. 
Timbering  can  not  be  done  sytematically  ;  the  main  tunnel  in  which  the  track  runs  is 
not  permanently  protected  against  caves.  If  the  ground  is  hard  there  is  great 
waste  of  labor  in  drilling  and  of  powder  in  breaking.  The  method  is  to  be  con- 
demned  under   any   conditions. 

"In  blasting  gravel  in  a  drift  mine  the  object  is  not  onlv  to  get  the  full  effect 
of  the  ))owder  in  the  amount  of  gravel  thrown  down,  but  to  pulverize  it  as  com- 
l)letely  as  ))ossible  so  as  to  free,  in  ;i  measure,  the  gold.  The  best  practice  is  to 
drill  deep  holes  three  to  five  feet,  chamber  them,  and  then  iiut  all  of  the  powder  in  the 
bottom  of  the  lio'e.  tamping  it  in  tight.  Experience  will  determine  the  proper  load  for 
the  holes  to  produce  the  best  results.  A  slow  Ijurning  powder  is  preferable  pro- 
portioned to  the  tightness  of  the  ground.  The  usual  strength  used  is  from  30  per 
cent    to    40    per   cent    nitroglycerine. 

"The  output  of  gravel  from  a  drift  mine  is  measured  by  carloads-  the  size  of 
the  car  is  not,  however,  uniform,  so  a  comparison  must  take  this  difference  into 
account.  The  cost  of  breaking  out  the  gravel  independent  of  the  expenses  of  handling 
it  afterward,  or  those  connected  with  the  opening  of  the  drifts  and  gangways,  tim- 
bering, and  track,  is  controlled  l»y  the  hardness  of  the  gravel,  expense  for  ijowder  and 
candles,  and  the  rate  of  miners'  wages.  The  tabulated  figures  will  show  the  cost 
in  several   mines,   and   furnish   fair  comparative  data   for   estimating : 


Name  of  mine 

2  — 
1 

•c  5 
^  — 

o  •' 

1 
1 

Carloads, 
per  pick 

f  1 

c  is. 

S3 

is 

1   3 
1 

$3  00 
3  00 
3  00 
3  00 
2  50 

o 
o"  ^ 

o 

3 

Dardanelles   

$0  02 

on 

OIJ 

01 

Oil 

$0  40 

25 
- 

1.50 
1.35 
2.70 
4.30 
4.30 

1.30 
2.C0 
1.00 
1.00 
1.40 

1.95 
2.70 
2.70 
4.30 
6.82 

$2  55 

225 

1  27i 

71 

52 

$1  95 

1  12J 

1  274 

71 

Paragon     

Red   Point     . 

Hidden  lYeasur? 

Manzanita 

37 

"The  Dardanelles  gravel  is  hard,  but  it  is  worked  in  the  curved  form  of  breast 
condemned  above.  The  Paragon  gravel  is  .soft,  but  worked  out  in  an  irregular 
manner  only  slightly  improved  over  the  preceding.  The  Red  Point  gravel  is  as  hard 
as  that  in  the  Dardanelles,  but  the  systematic  method  of  mining  employed  makes  it 
cost  considerably  less  per  ton.  The  Hidden  Treasure  and  Manzanita  gravels  are 
soft,  but  completely  unlike,  the  first  named  having  a  white  quartz  gravel,  and  the 
last  a  fine  quartz  gravel,  with  a  large  amount  of  sand  and  no  waste  to  speak  of. 
If  the  surface  of  bedrock  is  hard  and  left  unbroken  on  breasting  out  the  gravel,  it 
is  cleaned  thoroughly,  the  crevices  and  surface  being  scraped  with  a  special  tool 
to  remove  every  particle  of  gold,  before  the  boulder  waste  is  thrown  back  on  it. 
One,  or  at  the  most,  two  men  can  clean  the  bedrock  of  a  large  mine  as  fast  as  it  can 
be    imcovered    by    the    breast    miners. 

"The  timbers  used  in  a  drift  mine  are  obtained  from  the  surface  of  the  claim  or 
from  timber  land  near  at  hand.  They  are  usually  cut  by  contract  .and  delivered  at 
so  much  apiece — .S,  10,  12  and  15  cents,  dependent  on  the  size,  and  tlie  distance  they 
have  to  be  hauled  for  delivery.  The  posts,  caps,  and  sills  arc  cut  from  cedar,  sugar 
or  yellow  pine,  or  spruce,  and  are  relatively  valuable  in  the  order  given.  They  are 
rough  cut  in  length  from  fi  to  8  feet,  or  more  or  less  if  so  required,  and  from  8  inches 
to  14  inches  square,  rough  hewn  or  split,  or,  particularly  in  the  l.irger  sizes,  left 
in  their  natural  shape  with  only  the  bark  removed.  The  lagging  is  split  from  the 
same  varieties  of  wood,  one  .and  a  half  to  two  and  a  half  by  six  inches  by  si.x:  feet. 
It  is  cut  by  contract  at  so  much  per  thousand — $S  to  |12.  Both  timbers  and  lagging 
are  allowed  to  dry  and  season  where  cut  out  of  the  trees.  Before  being  taken  into 
the  mine  they  are  dressed  ;md  cut  by  the  carpenter  for  the  special  purpose  for 
which  they  are  to  be  used.  The  carpenter  also  iirepares  large  numbers  of  wedges, 
which  are   used   to   brace   the   timbers   into  position. 


60  CALIFORNIA  STATE  MINING  BUREAU. 

"The  different  timbermen  in  the  mines  each  has  Ills  peculiar  method  of  framing 
the  tunnel  sets  of  timl)ers,  and  all  seem  equally  efficient.  In  placing  a  set  in  position, 
seats  are  cut  in  the  floor  for  the  posts  to  rest  in,  sills  being  rarely  used.  The  cap 
is  mortised  at  the  ends  into  which  the  top  of  the  posts  tit.  These  sets  are  placed 
from  three  to  six  feet  between  centers,  dependent  on  the  solidity  of  the  ground  they 
support.  The  lagging  is  driven  in  behind  the  timbers  and  towards  the  face.  If  not 
perfectly  solid  in  place,  wedges  are  driven  in,  always  pointing  towards  the  face. 
The  size  of  the  tunnel  timbers  and  the  inclination  of  the  posts  from  the  vertical 
depend  on  the  ground,  the  size  of  the  tunnel,  and  desired  permanence  of  the  work. 
The  Bald  Mountain  tunnel  was  in  soft  ground ;  round  timbers  twelve  to  sixteen 
inches  in  diameter  were  used  ;  the  sets  placed  four  feet  between  centers,  and  the 
inward  inclination  of  the  posts,  two  feet  nine  inches  in  a  rise  of  six  feet  six  inches, 
the  tunnel  being  nine  feet,  three  and  one-half  feet,  and  six  and  one-half  feet  clear 
dimensions.  The  usual  sized  timber  employed  is  eight  to  ten  inches  in  diameter,  and 
the  inclination  of  posts,  one  foot  three  inches  to  six  feet  six  inches.  In  the  cross 
drifts  lighter  posts  are  used,  but  the  sets  are  framed  and  the  construction  similar  to 
the  main  tunnel,  except  that  only  the  top  is  lagged,  unless  the  ground  should  be  very 
soft  and  sliding.  In  the  working  gangways  the  posts  are  set  vertical  and  the 
mortised  end  of  the  cap  only  covers  half  the  top  of  the  post,  so  that  as  subsequently 
other  parts  are  set  up  in  breaking  out  the  ground  as  described,  the  same  post  will 
.support  the  end  of  a  second  cap.  Only  the  top  is  lagged.  In  breaking  out  the 
ground  the  timbering  is  similar  in  kind  and  construction  to  that  in  the  gangways. 
In  hard  ground  that  is  broken  out  by  blasting  comparatively  little  or  no  timbering 
is  necessary.  As  a  rule  only  posts  are  used,  with  or  without  caps,  the  latter  not 
necessarily  supported  by  more  than  one  post.  The  caps  are  secured  in  place  by 
wedges  driven  towards  the  working  face  to  prevent  the  roof  starting,  and  as  a 
protection  to  the  post  during  blasting.  The  actual  cost  of  setting  up  timbers  and 
lagging  in  working  groimd  ot  a  mine  can  not  readily  be  segregated  from  the  cost  of 
breaking  out  the  gravel,  as  it  is  not  usually  done  by  a  special  force,  but  by  the 
miners  themselves  under  the   direction   of   the  underground   foreman. 

"Drainage  may  or  may  not  be  a  most  important  item  of  expense  In  working  a 
drift  mine.  It  is  practically  nothing,  where  the  mine  is  worked  on  an  ascending 
grade  through  a  tunnel.  If  it  has  to  be  lifted,  some  of  the  various  pumping  devices 
are  used.  For  a  shaft,  the  Cornish  pump  has  already  been  referred  to  and  com- 
mended. For  making  short  lifts,  less  than  twenty  feet  in  the  altitudes  at  which 
most  of  the  drift  mines  are  located,  a  siphon  can  sometimes  be  employed,  and 
requires  but  little  attention.  Underground,  direct  acting  steam  pumps  are  usually 
employed,  the  steam  being  brought  from  the  surface,  necessarily  with  a  loss  of 
power  dependent  on  the  distance.  In  the  Mayflower  Mine,  at  Forest  Hill,  Placer 
County  while  worked  through  the  shaft,  six  pumps  were  employed  underground, 
some  'of  them  2000  feet  from  the  boiler  supplying  the  steam.  In  addition  to  the 
great  expense  involved  it  made  a  most  unsafe  plant,  for  the  breaking  down  of  one 
of  the  pumps  destroyed  the  efficiency  of  all  beyond  it  in  lower  levels  of  the  mine. 
Sometimes  water   power   is  available   for  direct   use   underground. 

"In  tlie  Mountain  Gate  Mine,  at  Damascus,  Placer  County,  the  main  bedrock 
tunnel  is  40  feet  lower  than  the  channel  being  mined,  at  the  point  where  it  is  cut  off 
by  the  deeper  blue  lead  channel.  The  channel  descending  inward  to  this  iDoint,  all 
its  drainage  about  forty  inches,  was  collected  at  the  inner  end  and  utilized  to  run 
a  forty-foot'  overshot  water  wheel,  which  gave  power  to  pump  and  hoist  from  the 
cross  channel  sixty  feet  lower.         ,,.  ^.  „,    ^  .  ,    ^     i  +  -     *u  i    *,, 

"In  the  Turkey  Hill  Mine,  near  Michigan  Bluff,  water  was  brought  m  through  the 
air  shaft  300  feet  deep,  falling  on  an  overshot  water  wheel,  and  furnishing  power 
to  nump  the  water  from  the  deep  working  to  the  level  of  the  main  tunnel,  whence  it 
reached  the  tunnel  entrance  by  natural  flow.  In  this  instance  only  a  fraction  of 
the  effective  power  of  the  water  was  utilized,  as  it  was  allowed  to  fall  free  in  the 
shaft  Another  device  that  can  be  used  efhciently  if  water  power  under  high  pressure 
can  he  had  is  an  arrangement  on  the  principle  of  the  hydraulic  elevator  and 
Runsen  num'o  by  which  the  water  power  is  used  directly  to  obtain  a  suction  and 
elevating  force  The  cost  of  putting  in  the  plant  for  the  water  power  devices  is  not 
verv  large  and  they  can  be  operated  cheaply,  the  last  described  at  only  the  cost  of 
the  water  'for  power,  as  it  requires,  once  started,  no  attention  whatever.  The  water 
nower  pumps  i-equire  more  or  less  repairing  and  examination  to  keep  working  well. 
The  first  cost  of  steam  pumps  and  their  connections  and  the  expense  of  operating  are 
a  heavv  charge  on  the  gravel  mined.  Their  employment  is  condemned  except  for 
very  rich  ground  that  can  be  drained  by  no  other  means." 

Ventilation  of  drift  mines  is  important.  With  only  one  opening,  the 
ventilation  is  by  a  fan  at  the  tunnel  entrance  forcing  fresh  air  to  the 
working  face  by  a  pipe  line  or  withdrawing  the  vitiated  air  by  the 
same  means.  If  water  power  is  available  the  blower  can  be  driven  by 
it  at  little  expense.  Air  shafts  and  drifts  are  constructed  at  minimum 
cost  for  ventilation. 

The  main  tunnel  and  drifts  all  have  track  laid  in  them  and  switches 
are  placed  at  all  junctions  and  intersections.  In  the  main  tunnel  the 
track  is  permanently  laid.  In  the  drifts  and  gangways  it  is  removed 
as  soon  as  the  ground  is  worked  out  and  relaid  elsew^here.  Light  rail 
is  sometimes  used  and  sometimes  strap-iron  spiked  on  wooden  stringers. 


GOLD   PLACERS    OF    CALIFORNIA.  61 

Cars  vary  greatly  in  diinonsions,  sliape,  inatoi-ial,  discharge,  gear,  and 
capacity.  In  small  mines  the  ears  are  moved  by  liand ;  in  larger  ones 
by  a  horse  or  locomotive. 

"The  treatment  of  the  gravel  to  obtain  the  gold  is  either  by  washing  it  from  the 
dump  through  the  sluices,  or,  should  it  be  cemented,  crushing  it  in  the  stamp  batteries 
of  a  quartz  mill.  The  washing  plant  has  already  been  described.  In  small  mines 
where  not  over  one  hundred  carloads  a  day  are  taken  out,  the  washing  is  done  by 
the  superintendent  or  the  foreman.  In  larger  mines  there  are  one  or  two  men 
steadily  employed  at  the  washing  and  cleaning  up  of  the  sluices.  The  latter  Is 
done  in  sections,  the  upper  boxes  certainly  once  or  twice  a  day  in  some  mines — 
those  further  away  from  the  dump  less  frequently.  The  tailings  are  not  allowed 
to  escape  at  once,  but  are  caught  in  brush  and  log  dams,  and  allowed  to  accumulate 
and  slack  for  several  months,  when  they  are  rewashed.  The  common  practice  in  the 
mines  is  to  sell  them  outright  for  a  lump  sum  to  Chinese  or  others,  who  take  the 
chances  on  getting  back  their  cost  and  the  expense  of  washing.  The  cost  of  washing 
per  carload  is  from  11  cents  (with  large  amounts  of  gravel  and  free  water)  to 
3  cents.  In  milling  gravel  the  batteries  are  best  fed  by  automatic  machine  feeders. 
Hand  labor  is  necessary,  however,  to  separate  large  cobbles,  which  can  be  partially 
screened  out  by  a  giizzly.  The  cost  of  milling  gravel  per  ton  in  the  Paragon  Mine, 
with  steam  power  mill,  is  $0.35  a  ton.  At  the  Dardanelles,  the  cost  with  steam 
l)0wer,  five-stamp  mill,  is  $0.33  a  ton.  With  water  power  mill  the  cost  of  milling 
the  same  gravel   (exclusive  of  the  cost  of  the  water)    would  be  $0.20  a  ton. 

"The  specialized  duties  in  which  labor  is  employed  in  a  drift  mine,  the  ratios 
between  the  amount  of  labor  in  these  several  capacities,  and  its  cost,  are  seldom 
exactly  the  same  in  any  two  mines.  The  figures  for  three  mines  are  given  here, 
and  will  furnish  a  fair  basis  from  which  to  make  estimates  for  projected  work : 


Shift  bosses   |         2        1  3  00  1 1 2        j         $3  00 

Breasters.  white  '        24        \         3  OO  i        17        I         3  00  ,         9        {  3  CO 

Breasters,    Chinese   -- ' 1 9       I  1  75 

Tunnel  men  .- ! 2       j         3  00  !         2       I 

Drift  men,   white ; ; \ —  I         ^        j  3  00 

Carmen,  inside,  white i ; 1-— —  \ 1 

Carmen,   inside,    Chinese I 1 ' 6  1  DO 

Carmen,  outside  1       i         3  00  1  2  50 

Drivers  -— i I --  2        t  3  CO 

Blacksmith    j  1  3  00  1  3  00  j         1  3  .fiO 

Blacksmith  helpers  I 1  3  00 

Carpenters j 3  4  00 

Surface  men,  white 1  2  50   1  3  00 

Surfacemen,   Chinese j j 4  17.") 

Engineers    2        [         35o|         1        I         350  2  3  50 

Battery  feeders  2       i         2  50  2       1         3  00  


Totals    34 


"In  the  Dardanelles  the  full  force  possible  is  working  in  two  shifts.  The  force 
can  be  doubled  in  the  Paragon,  the  i>resent  force  only  working  days.  At  the  Red 
Point,  with  sufficient  water  for  washing,  a  hundred  additional  men  could  be  employed 
in  breaking  out  ground  already  opened  liy  drifts  and  gangTi^'ays.  The  Hidden 
Treasure  Mine  employs  from  100  to  175  men  in  all  capacities,  the  larger  proportion 
in  breasting  out  gravel.  In  the  Bald  Mountain  Mine  as  high  as  250  men  have  been 
<^mployed  at  one  time  in  all  capacities.  In  the  running  expense  of  a  drift  mine,  the 
cost  of  labor  is  by  far  the  largest  item,  the  proportion,  as  compared  with  all  other 
expenses,  being  nearl.v  vmiform  in  all  of  the  mines.  For  the  Hidden  Treasure  Mine 
the  ratio  for  four  months  of  ISSS.  taken  at  random  from  the  books,  is:  For  wages. 
78  per  cent;  all  other  expenses,  22  per  cent.  For  tlie  same  mine  for  the  eleven  years 
from  1877  to  18S7,  inclusive,  the  ratio  was  7S  per  cent,  and  other  expen.ses  22 
per  cent. 

"The  considerations  that  should  govern  the  developments  of  a  drift  mine  and 
the  most  successful  practical  working  of  it.  summarized  from  the  preceding  pages, 
are  the  following:  The  development  or  opening  of  the  mine  should  be  done  in  the 
manner  that  will  make  the  subsequent  mining  of  the  ground — that  is,  the  running 
expen.se  per  unit  (carload  or  ton)  of  gravel- — the  cheapest.  This  means,  drift  mining 
ground  not  being  uniform  in  gold  yield,  that  the  greatest  amount  and  area  of  ground 
can  then  be  mined  at  a  profit  over  running  expenses,  and  that  more  thorough  pros- 
pecting that  is  not  dead  work  can  be  done.  This  points,  not  to  the  lowest  possible 
construction  account  necessarily,  but  to  that  which  will  in  the  running  expen.se 
of  the  opened  mine  make  all  the  several  items  take  their  minimum  value,  and  permit 
of  the  largest  proportion  of  the  total  of  all  of  them  being  expended  in  the  actual 
mining  or  breaking  out  of  the  pay  gravel.     It  is  from  this  last  consideration  that  the 


62  CALIFORNIA    STATE    MINING   BUREAU. 

tunnel  is  the  best  form  of  opening,  for  through  it  can  be  reduced  to  their  minimum 
value  the  several  items  of  drainage,  ventilation,  and  moving  of  gravel  to  the  surface. 
"Tlio  gold  yield  of  the  gravel  is  estimated  at  so  much  per  carload,  but  the 
differences  in  (capacity  of  the  cars. used  in  different  inines  makes  direct  comparison 
impossible.  For  conxenienee  it  is  desirable  to  adopt  as  a  unit  the  ton  of  2000 
pounds.  Tlie  minimum  limit  of  yield  which  it  will  pay  to  mine,  or  rather  the 
minimum  of  llie  running  expense  of  mining  (for  it  will  pay  to  mine  gravel  which 
will  just  meet  this  expense,  as  increasing  the  probability  of  discovery  of  richer 
ground),  has  a  wide  range  as  between  the  different  mines.  Probably  tlie  lowest  paying 
gravel  and  the  cheapest  mining  is  that  of  the  Hidden  Treasure  Mine.  From  Febru- 
ary  27,    1888,   to  June   30,    1888 — 108   working  days— the  figures  are: 


Perload, 
one  ton 


Total 


Gold  yield  $1.2347  $39,821  53 

Wages    •7202  23,528  00 

Contracts .1077  3,464  78 

Expense,  material,  etc .0957  3,086  94 


Total  expense $0.9230       $30,079  72 


Profit  $11.3111         !fn,741  81 

Number  of  days'  labor,  11,104.50.    Number  of  carloads  gravel,  32,2.52. 
For  the  eleven  years,  1877  to  18S7,  inclusive: 

lieceiiits. 
Gold  yield  $'^79.i52a  27 

Receipts  from  otiior  sources 19,176  10 

Total   $'?!)S,6'i9  43 

Expendihires. 

Wages  iHf)0,297  04 

All  other  expenses 137,064  35 

Dividends    268,092  00 

"The  cost  per  carload  ($0.9236)  is  exceptionally  low,  as  under  ordinarily  favorable 
conditions  $1.50  to  $1.75  a  carload  is  as  low  a  figure  as  can  be  anticipated,  and  in 
most   of   the   mines  the   cost   is   from    $2    to    $3." 

In  the  above  abstract  from  Mr.  Dunn's  report,  it  has  been  necessary 
on  account  of  space  limitations  to  omit  much  material  of  value,  princi- 
pally data  referring  to  costs  at  several  of  the  drift  mines  which  were 
operating  thirty-five  years  ago,  when  the  article  was  written.  Costs 
have  since  changed  materially,  bnt  the  relative  proportion  and  weight 
of  labor  and  material  costs  is  about  the  same.  For  this  reason  the  same 
factor  of  increase  may  be  applied  in  estimating  probable  costs  at  the 
present  day. 

Methods  of  drift  mining  have  not  changed  materially  except  in  the 
application  of  modern  mining  machinery  to  tunnel  driving.  In  the 
recovery  of  gold  from  the  gravels,  perhaps  the  only  important  change 
has  been  the  adaptation  of  mills  of  the  Price,  and  Krogh  type  to  the 
moderately  cemented  gravels.  Stamp  milling  is  no  longer  in  general 
use,  unless  the  gravel  is  exceedingly  tightly  cemented.  Mills  of  this 
type  (the  Price,  and  Krogh  type)  consist  of  a  revolving  hexagonal  or 
octagonal  barrel  of  about  five  feet  inside  diameter,  and  length  varying 
from  six  to  ten  feet.  The  walls  of  this  revolving  trommel  or  screen  are 
perforated,  usually  with  slots  of  sufficient  mesh  to  allow  the  fine  material 
to  escape,  the  boulders  and  pebbles  in  the  gravel  itself  acting  as  a  crush- 
ing medium  until  they  are  discharged.  This  mill  is  usually  mounted  on 
trunnions  in  such  a  way  that  if  driven  by  water  power  through  a  belt, 
the  water  used  on  the  Pelton  wheel  is  discharged  into  the  mill  to  serve  as 
washwater. 


GOLD   PLACERS   OF    CALIFORNIA.  63 

In  gravel  which  is  not  too  tightly  cemented,  this  type  of  mill  gives 
excellent  results  and  a  very  complete  separation  of  the  gold  from  the 
gravel  without  the  necessity  of  crushing  the  entire  mass  and  conse- 
quently at  a  much  lower  cost  than  the  old-fashioned  stamp  mill. 
MECHANICAL  HANDLING. 

In  many  localities  irregular  distribution  and  depth  of  the  gravels, 
the  inaccessibilty  of  water,  character  and  type  of  bedrock,  or  the  remote- 
ness from  transportation  make  necessary  a  departure  from  standard 
mining  practices,  and  the  adaptation  of  mechanical  means  for  handling 
gravel  in  smaller  units  than  those  hitherto  discussed. 

There  are  innumerable  methods  which  have  been  devised  and  are 
still  being  devised,  but  in  general  it  may  be  stated  that  gravel  which 
is  handled  by  small  mechanical  units  must  of  necessity  be  much  higher 
grade  than  that  which  is  capable  of  being  handled  in  large  volume  by 
standard  dredge  or  hydraulic  methods. 

The  first  method  discussed  will  be  that  of  handling  gravel  by  elevator 
or  mechanical  conveyor.  Attempts  have  been  made  from  time  to  time 
to  overcome  the  lack  of  sufficient  dump  in  certain  gravel  deposits  by 
means  of  mechanical  elevators  of  the  stacker  or  belt  type.  These 
machines  have  been  expensive  in  their  first  cost,  erection,  maintenance, 
and  operation.  They  have  never  been,  so  far  as  known,  a  financial 
success.  However,  inasmuch  as  no  serious  mechanical  problems  are 
involved,  it  seems  reasonable  that  a  successful  machine  of  this  type 
might  possibly  be  designed,  constructed,  and  operated.  It  should  be 
lighter  than  most  of  the  attempts  made  to  date,  and  consequently  more 
easily  moved. 

The  most  elaborate  example  of  this  type  that  has  been  constructed  in 
California  is  the  plant  of  the  Tarr  Mining  Company  at  Smartsville. 
The  gravel  was  hydraulicked  to  a  sump  where  it  was  lifted  by  a  bucket 
ladder,  containing  fifty-two  7-foot  buckets,  to  a  trommel  where  it  was 
screened.  The  undersize  went  to  the  riffles  and  the  oversize  to  a  belt 
conveyor  570  feet  long.  At  the  end  of  tlie  convej^or  two  Bleichert 
tramways  were  constructed  to  provide  a  larger  dump  for  the  tailings. 
This  plant  proved  a  failure,  due  largelj'  to  the  cemented  character  of 
the  gravel  and  the  complicated  nature  of  the  machine,  which  required 
very  much  power  to  run. 

At  Beauceville,  Canada,  a  mechanical  elevator  was  erected  by  the  New 
York  Engineering  Company  at  a  cost  of  $25,000.  Its  lifting  height  was 
50  feet  from  the  bottom  of  the  sump  to  the  top  of  the  bucket-line.  It 
was  equipped  with  150  h.p.,  of  which  the  bucket-line  of  3^  cubic  ft. 
close-connected  buckets  consumed  50  h.p. ;  the  remaining  100  being  used 
to  operate  a  14-inch  centrifugal  pump.  Its  capacity  w^as  2000  cubic  yards 
daily.  Cost  per  yard  was  about  12  cents.  The  failure  of  this  plant  was 
due  to  the  high  cost  of  operation  and  the  low  grade  of  the  gravel. 

Steam  shovels  of  various  types  have  been  used  in  the  mechanical 
handling  of  gravels.  AYhere  there  is  insufficient  water  for  hydraulick- 
ing  and  where  the  gravel  is  more  or  le.ss  cemented,  attempts  to  work 
ground  by  this  method  have  been  frequent  but  witliout  any  great 
measure  of  success. 

As  a  digging  machine,  the  steam  shovel  is  very  effiicient,  but  its  failure 
in  gravel  mining  has  been  largely  due  to  its  lack  of  mobility  and  to  the 

5—28603 


64  CALIFORNIA   STATE    MINING   BUREAU. 

fact  that  its  action  is  intermittent ;  that  is,  it  dumps  its  loads  suddenly, 
and  the  sluices  are  in  consequence  alternately  over-burdened  and  over- 
flooded.  This  method  of  charging  sluices  is  conducive  to  loss  of  fine 
gold.  Difficulty  has  always  been  experienced  in  keeping  the  sluices  up 
.to  the  working  face  of  the  machine.  In  the  old  type  of  machine  which 
laid  its  own  track  the  shovel  had  all  the  disadvantages  of  the  dredge 
in  that  its  heavier  parts  were  very  cumbersome.  Eecently,  however,  a 
type  of  shovel  has  been  devised  which  runs  on  a  caterpillar  track,  and 
it  seems  that  this  type  is  far  better  adapted  to  placer  mining  than  any 
shovel  hitherto  devised,  because  of  its  greater  flexibility. 

In  connection  with  this  development  of  the  steam  shovel,  the  power- 
driven  belt-conveyor  has  recently  been  used.     On  gravel  in  compara- 


Photo  No.  15.     Yukon  Gold  Company's  Mechanical  Elevator,  Dawson, 
Yukon  Territory. 

tively  accessible,  districts,  which  runs  20  cents  per  yard  or  better,  there 
is  a  possibility  of  using  this  type  of  machine  which  is  well  worth  looking 
into.  At  the  present  time  a  company  is  operating  low-dump  gravels  in 
the  bed  of  the  Calaveras  River  by  this  method.  The  caterpillar  steam 
shovel,  with  its  radius  of  action,  due  to  the  quickness  with  which  it  can 
be  moved,  Avill  cut  and  deliver  gravel  of  this  t.ype  at  great  speed,  and 
with  a  five  or  six  foot  conveyor-belt  to  carry  the  material  up  to  a  hopper 
at  the  head  of  elevated  sluice  boxes,  it  is  possible  to  handle  this  type  of 
gravel  much  more  cheaply  than  formerly. 

Many  types  of  drag-scrapers  have  been  used  for  the  handling  of  gold- 
bearing  gravel.  In  Alaska  on  Twin  Creek  the  writer  has  seen  frozen 
ground  handled  by  this  means  at  a  cost  not  to  exceed  50  cents  a  j'^ard. 
A  central  steam  power  plant,  operated  by  burning  wood,  was  set  in  such 
a  way  that  the  drag  scoop,  traveling  the  full  length  of  the  cut,  would 


GOLD   I'LACERS  OF   CALIFORNIA. 


65 


dump  into  a  ear  whicli  was  hoisted  to  a  hopper  at  the  head  of  the 
sluices.    The  sluices  had  been  raised  to  give  ample  dump. 

So  many  improvements  have  recently  been  made  in  drag-line  scrapers 
that  they  are  now  veiy  efficient  digging  machines  in  loose  ground.  A 
drag-line  scraper  at  Cape  Girardeau,  in  Missouri,  several  years  ago  dug 
a  canal  200  ft.  wide  and  20  ft.  deep  in  this  type  of  material  at  a  cost  of 
5  cents  per  cubic  yard.  It  was  equipped  with  a  6-cubic-yard  bucket 
and  had  a  capacity  of  4000  cubic  j^ards  in  24  hours. 

Other  types  of  excavators  used  in  handling  gravel,  sucli  as  the 
Hadsell,  whicli  operates  from  a  central  tower,  and  another  unnamed 
type,  which  operates  with  variable-speed  motors,  have  been  successful. 
In  this  latter  type  a  slow-speed  motor  is  used  for  digging  at  the  moment 
that  the  scraper  takes  its  charge,  and  a  faster  motor  is  used  to  convey 
it  to  the  tower  where  it  dumps  its  burden  into  the  sluices. 


Photo  No.  16.     Drag  Scraper  near  Fairbanks,  Alaska. 

Simple  derricks  with  clam-shell  or  orange-peel  buckets  have  often 
been  used  for  this  type  of  work,  but  the  gravel  has  to  be  very  high-grade 
to  justify  the  expense  of  this  sort  of  operation. 

Various  mechanical  contraptions  with  the  name  of  dry-land  dredgers 
have  been  built  and  experimented  witli  at  different  times.  These  usually 
consist  of  some  form  of  bucket  elevator  mounted  on  wheels,  and  in  many 
parts  of  our  State  still  stand  as  monuments  to  the  practical  incapacity 
of  their  inventors. 

The  use  of  the  centrifugal  pump  in  handling  gravel  has  already  been 
commented  upon,  but  there  are  certain  areas  of  gravel  still  available 
along  the  Sierra  foothills  in  regions  which  were  once  the  deltas  of  the 
Cretaceous  and  Tertiary  river  systems,  which  are  capable  of  being 
handled  by  this  method.  Where  the  foothills  are  low  and  rolling  and 
reservoirs  can  readily  be  installed,  it  is  possible  to  increase  the  head  in 
tlie  operations  of  giants  supplied  by  these  reservoirs  by  stepping  a  cen- 
trifugal pump  into  the  line,  provided  the  power  costs  are  not  too  expen- 
sive.   Probably  gravel  Avould  have  to  run  at  least  25  cents  a  yard  to  allow 


66  CALIFORNIA   STATE   MINING   BUREAU. 

any  profit  at  all  by  this  means  of  working.  The  use  of  centrifugal 
pumps  as  elevators  for  gravel  lias  already  been  discussed  under  the  head 
of  dredging. 

GROUND   SLUICING   METHODS. 

The  original  and  simplest  form  of  mining  was  by  means  of  the  pan 
and  the  rocker.  From  the  development  of  tlie  rocker  or  cradle  came 
the  longtom,  which  was  a  sort  of  end-shake  sluice  which  permitted  the 
handling  of  more  material  than  the  rocker.  After  this  came  the  develop- 
ment of  the  fixed  sluice. 

There  exist  deposits  where  whole  areas  of  rolling  ground  are  covered 
with  a  thin  film  of  varying  depths,  which  at  times  feathers  out  to  bed- 
rock, and  upon  M^iich  water  can  be  brought  but  not  under  pressure. 
When  the  intervening  gulches  have  sufficient  grade  for  sluicing  and 
disposal  of  the  tailings,  ground  sluicing  is  the  proper  method.  This 
method  of  mining  has  perhaps  produced  more  of  the  world's  gold  than 
any  other.  During  the  early  days  in  California,  when  gold  production 
was  at  its  maximum,  by  far  the  larger  proportion  of  the  gold  was  won 
l)y  this  method.  In  viewing  the  ancient  Spanish  workings  in  Colombia, 
in  Peru,  and  in  Bolivia,  one  can  not  fail  to  be  impressed  by  the  enor- 
mous amount  of  material  that  has  been  mined  l)y  this  means. 

The  method  consists  of  bringing  the  ditch  to  a  point  on  the  edge  of 
the  bank  to  be  worked  and  allowing  the  water  to  cascade  over  the  work- 
ing face.  The  work  of  the  water  is  assisted  by  the  use  of  picks  and 
shovels,  and  the  larger  boulders  close  to  bedrock  are  worked  around, 
if  they  can  not  be  moved.  The  duty  of  water  in  this  method  is  naturally 
low.  For  example,  in  a  mine  of  this  type  in  Colombia,  135  miner's 
inches,  running  over  a  10-foot  bank  gave  a  duty  of  only  50  cubic  yards 
per  day. 

What  is  known  as  booming  or  flooding  is  an  alteration  of  ground  sluic- 
ing methods,  which  is  adaptable  under  certain  conditions.  Where  the 
gravel  is  readily  cut  and  does  not  attain  a  depth  of  over  50  feet  and 
has  a  preferable  average  depth  of  10  to  15  feet,  this  method  is  practi- 
cable provided  that  the  slope  of  the  bedrock  is  at  least  7  inches  to 
the  rod. 

A  reservoir  is  built  above  the  deposit  in  which  a  self-dumjiing,  or 
self-opening  gate  is  placed.  This  gate  is  so  arranged,  generally  with  an 
overflow  box,  that  when  the  water  rises  to  a  certain  heiglit  in  the 
reservoir  the  gate  opens  and  empties  the  reser\^oir  with  a  rush,  after 
which  it  automatically  closes.  The  water  pouring  down  the  gulch 
carries  away  immense  quantities  of  material  until  it  loses  its  velocity, 
and  by  this  means  a  large  amount  of  the  top  gravel  is  readily  stripped, 
leaving  the  bottom  part,  with  the  bedrock  to  be  worked  off  by  ordinary 
ground  sluicing  methods. 

Where  the  gold  is  fine  and  generally  deposited  through  the  gravel, 
this  method  is  not  advisable,  but  where  the  gold  is  coarse  and  concen- 
trated in  a  shallow  streak  or  near  bedrock,  this  is  often  an  economical 
method  of  working. 


GOLD   PIvACERS   OF    CALIFORNIA.  67 

DRY   WASHING. 

There  are  many  parts  of  California  in  Avhieh  the  gold-bearing  gravels 
are  inaccessible  to  water  in  any  quantity.  As  these  gravels  often  run  as 
high  as  $1  a  yard  and  in  some  eases  better  than  this,  all  sorts  of  methods 
of  handling  them  without  the  use  of  water  have  been  tried. 

To  the  Avriter's  knowledge,  no  absolutely  dry  process  has  ever  been 
successful  in  handling  this  type  of  gravel,  with  the  exception  of  a 
Mexican  hand  bellows  or  dry-washing  machine. 

The  deposits  are  usually  shallow,  more  or  less  cemented,  and  their 
gold  contents  are  very  unevenly  distributed.  Probably  the  best-known 
absolutely  dry  process  is  what  is  known  as  the  Stebbins-Quinner 
machine.  In  most  cases  the  gravel  is  first  pulverized  and  screened,  and 
the  fine  material  is  run  over  the  Stebbins  tables,  which  use  air  as  a 
medium  of  concentration  instead  of  water.  The  writer  has  yet  to  learn 
that  any  machine  using  air  as  a  means  of  concentration  Avill  prove 
successful  in  liandling  gravel.  Very  often  laboratory  tests  will  show 
encouraging  results,  liut  it  is  found  in  practice  that  tbe  so-called  dry 
material  is  never  absolutely  dry  but  contains  enough  moisture  to 
agglomerate  on  the  canvas,  thus  interfering  with  proper  concentration. 

The  hand  machine  of  the  Mexican,  which  has  been  used  extensively  in 
southern  California  and  in  Arizona,  is  an  exception  to  the  general  rule 
regarding  air  separation  machines,  for  the  reason  that  it  is  portable, 
and  the  extremely  spotted  nature  of  most  of  the  dry  placers  results  in 
local  concentrations,  which  for  small  widths  and  in  quantities  of  two  or 
three  yards  at  a  time  will  often  pay  fair  day  wages.  Again  the  writer 
wishes  to  state  with  particular  force  that  air  separation  processes,  when 
applied  on  any  large  scale,  have  invariably  resulted  in  total  and  al)solute 
failure.  Two  conspicuous  monuments  to  this  failure  still  stand  in  the 
California  desert;  one  at  Goler,  and  the  other  at  Coolgardie.  Limited 
capacity  and  imperfect  separation  are  the  main  reasons.  Other 
machines  of  this  character  are  so  cumbrous  that  they  lose  the  chief 
advantage  of  the  hand  machine,  which  is  its  ability  to  be  transported 
from  one  spot  or  concentration  of  gold  to  another  as  soon  as,  the  pay 
has  been  worked  out. 

Where  a  limited  amount  of  water  is  available,  however,  it  is  quite 
possible  and  feasible  to  work  these  dry  placers,  provided  the  ground  is 
rich  enough.  The  most  successful  method  of  handling  this  material  that 
has  come  to  the  writer's  attention  is  one  which  was  tried  out  in  the 
Randsburg  district  some  time  ago.  It  consists  in  the  use  of  a  very  little 
M'ater  and  the  constant  saving  and  return  of  the  same  for  re-washing. 
In  this  method  a  sluice  about  7  ft.  long  and  14  in.  Avide  is  given  a  head 
motion  by  an  eccentric  and  is  driven  by  a  two-horsepower  engine.  The 
sluice  has  a  false  bottom  with  holes  immediately  behind  the  riffles, 
which  are  of  the  Hungarian  type.  The  material  is  wheeled  and  shoveled 
in  after  the  boulders  have  been  screened  out.  The  Avater  carries  out  the 
fines  on  about  a  12-inch  grade  into  a  AAdieelbarroAV  Avhich  stands  over  a 
pit.  The  AvheelbarroAv  is  punched  full  of  holes  and  the  Avater  is  drained 
into  the  pit  from  it.  It  is  then  pumped  back  by  a  centrifugal  pump, 
Avhich  is  run  by  the  same  gas  engine  from  a  countershaft  through  the 
false  bottom,  Avhere  it  jets  up  behind  the  riffles  to  perform  its  service  in 
carrying  the  material  through  tlie  sluice  again.  The  only  loss  of  Avater 
is  through  evaporation  and  absorption.    The  riffles  are  always  kept  open 


68 


CALIFORNIA   STATE    MINING    BUREAU. 


by  the  ujjlifting  jets  of  water,  and  the  concentrating  motion  of  the 
eccentric  head  makes  a  very  effective  jig. 

Another  machine  which  is  used  in  localities  where  there  is  very  little 
water  has  been  developed  by  Mr.  J.  B.  Giffen,  of  Sacramento.  The 
macliine  consists  of  either  a  shaking  or  stationary  hopper  and  water 
feed  under  pressure  in  the  hopper,  a  shaking  table  with  a  side  motion, 
set  at  a  pitch  averaging  about  8  inches  to  the  foot,  and  a  type  of  riffle 
known  as  the  Giffen  rifflle.  The  inventor  claims  that  near  Manhattan, 
Nevada,  he  could  wash  40  yards  of  dry  gravel  with  a  supply  of  9  gallons 
of  water  per  minute,  for  6  hours  a  day,  the  consumption  l)eing  80 
gallons  per  yard.  By  the  use  of  a  tronunel,  the  amount  of  gravel 
washed  is  materially  increased.  The  dirt  is  fed  into  the  hopper  by  an 
elevator.  As  the  dirt  dumps  and  spreads  out,  it  is  met  by  the  water 
discharge,  which  thus  gives  a  fair  washing  before  the  gravel  reaches 


Thoto  No.  17. 


View  of  Giffen  Placer  Machine.     Taken  when  washing  24  yards 
per  hour,  at  Rocklin,  Cal. 


the  table.  The  upper  18  inches  of  the  table  has  another  riffle,  thus 
alloAving  the  dirt  to  spread  and  cross  the  table  in  a  thin  wide  stream, 
which  causes  a  very  fair  degree  of  concentration  to  occur  before  the 
first  riffle  is  reached.  Four  sections  of  riffle  each  16  inches  long  were 
used,  although  it  Avas  only  necessary  to  clean  the  upper  one  daily,  the 
second  every  other  day  and  the  other  two  once  a  week.  "Where  water  is 
scarce,  it  is  pumped  back  and  used  over  and  over.  The  plant  can  be 
moved  and  put  in  operation  in  less  than  one-half  a  day.  The  inventor 
claims  that  under  ordinary  circumstances  the  ground  can  be  delivered, 
washed,  and  the  tailings  cleared  away,  so  far  as  necessaiy,  for  30  to  35 
cents  per  yard. 

BLACK   SANDS. 

The  subject  of  black  sand  mining  has  been  very  ably  and  thoroughly 
covered  by  Mr.  C.  A.  Logan  in  Bulletin  No.  85  of  the  State  Mining 
Bureau.  For  this  reason  only  a  very  brief  resume  of  the  methods  of 
recovery  in  common  use  will  be  given  in  this  chapter. 


GOLD   PLACERS   OF    CALIFORNIA.  69 

One  of  the  commonest  machines  in  use  is  the  Kellogg  black  sand 
machine.  This  device  consists  of  an  inverted  funnel  with  pockets 
around  the  circumference.  As  the  sand  and  water  are  poured  upon 
this,  a  boiling  action  occurs  in  the  pockets  and  a  sort  of  concentration 
is  brought  about.  This  is  a  very  simple  machine  and  appears  to  have 
been  of  considerable  use  in  handling  the  l)lack  sands  of  the  Oroville 
district. 

Perliaps  tlie  simplest  type  of  machine  used  on  tlie  beach  sands  con- 
sists of  a  plain  duck  board  riffle,  fastened  to  a  plank  bottom,  which  is 
set  out  near  the  edge  of  the  sea  as  the  tide  is  coming  in,  and  is  kept 
constantly  in  such  a  position  that  the  outgoing  waves  would  wash  the 
gold-bearing  black  sands  over  it.  This  machine  has  been  used  near 
Crescent  City,  and  has  paid  day  wages  to  the  men  operating  it.  Possi- 
bly one  of  the  best  types  of  concentratoi*s  for  this  sort  of  work  is  the 
Iluelsdouk,  which  the  writer  has  seen  operating  in  Sierra  County,  and 


Photo   No.    18.     Giffen    Placer   :Machine.     General   appearance   of   plant. 

which  has  successfully  been  used  for  years  in  recovering  platinum,  gold, 
amalgam,  and  mercury  from  black  sand  concentrates  at  the  La  Grange 
dredge.    The  description  given  by  Logan^  of  this  plant  follows : 

"The  concentrator  works  under  still  water  in  a  box  or  trough  which  is  16  feet 
long,  one  foot  wide  inside,  and  about  one  foot  deep,  being  made  from  two-inch 
planks.  A  .small  gas  engine  mounted  on  the  .sluice  furnishes  power  for  shaking  the 
screen  and  the  concentrator,  and  for  pumping  water.  The  shaking  motion  is  given 
by  an  eccentric  with  3-inch  travel.  The  screen  moves  on  a  single  bolt  support  on 
eachi  side,  and  the  power  is  applied  against  springs.  From  the  screen  the  sand 
and  water  pass  on  to  an  apron  which  extends  one-half  the  length  of  the  sluice  and 
is  perforated  at  regular  intervals  so  as  to  distribute  the  sand  along  the  table 
proper.  This  apron  and  the  table  are  bolted  together  and  are  shaken  at  the  rate 
of  180  r.  p.  m.  They  travel  on  rollers  along  the  bottom  of  the  sluice,  and  require 
little  power.  The  table  proper  is  essentially  a  long  narrow  galvanized-iron  covered 
trough,  extending  the  full  length  of  box.  and  tapering  at  the  lower  end  to  a  groove 
scarcely  J-inch  wide  and  deep.  The  sand  enters  the  groove  at  the  upper  end  and 
as  the  shaking  motion  forces  it  along  the  lighter  constituents  are  crowded  to  the 
top  and  forced  over  the  side,  falling  into  a  bottom  compartment  which  shakes  with 
the  table  and  which  can  be  used  to  give  a  middling,  or  to  discharge  tailing.  The 
concentrate  travels  the  length  of  the  groove  and  is  tapped  off  through  a  spigot 
at  the  end.     Middling  and  tailing  are  tapped  from  the  side  near  the  end.     Huelsdonk 

'Logan,  C.  A.,  Platinum  and  allied  metals  in  California ;  Cal.  State  Min.  Bur., 
Bull.    85,  pp.   100-101,    1919. 


70  CALrFORNIA   STATE    MINING    BUREAU. 

claims  the  unit  can  handle  two  cubic  yards  of  gravel  or  one  ton  of  mill  tailings 
an  hour.  Twenty  cubic  yards  of  gravel  give  two  gallons  of  concentrate.  The  con- 
centration with  mill  tailings  is  said  to  be  100  to  1.  At  the  La  Grange  dredge  8  tons 
of  black  sand  concentrate  were  reduced  to  about  one-third  of  a  gold-pan  full,  which 
contained  the  year's  output  of  platinum.  Only  |-horsepower  is  said  to  be  required 
for  the  concentrator.  The  demonstrating  model  has  a  IJ-horsepower  engine,  which 
is  claimed  to  be  more  than  ample  for  pumping  water  and  operation.  A  one-inch 
centrifugal  pump  gives  an  ample  supply  of  water. 

"The  saving  by  this  machine  appears  to  be  very  satisfactory,  and  the  concen- 
trator seems  to  have  a  wide  field  of  application,  but  ought  to  appeal  especially  to 
the  small  miner  or  the  man  who  wants  a  portable  outfit  which  is  easy  to  operate 
and  requires  little  water.  The  installation  complete,  including  engine  and  pump, 
weighs  600  pounds,  and  the  heaviest  part  is  the  engine.  Two  men  are  required  to 
run  the  outfit  where  hand  shoveling  is   done." 

Another  machine,  of  the  airblast  type,  has  been  developed  by  Sutton, 
Steele  and  Steele,  of  Dallas,  Texas.  This  machine  has  been  used  with 
considerable  success  on  concentration  of  light  and  finely  distributed 
materials.  "Whether  it  is  adaptable  to  heavy  black  sands  with  the 
variety  of  heavy  concentrates  which  are  produced  from  this  class  of 
material,  seems  still  to  be  undetermined,  but  from  the  looks  of  the  blue- 
print submitted  to  the  writer,  it  looks  as  if  it  had  possibilities. 

METHODS  OF   PROSPECTING. 

In  the  discussion  of  the  different  methods  of  operation  of  gold  placers, 
various  factors  have  been  mentioned  which  determine  the  choice  of  the 
method  of  work.  In  the  case  of  the  proper  examination  of  alluvial 
properties  with  the  idea  of  determining  the  method  of  working  to  be 
adopted,  the  examining  engineer  will  carefully  consider  all  of  these  fac- 
tors and  their  relative  importance  one  to  another.  If  the  enterprise  is 
to  be  hydraulic,  the  question  of  water  supply  is  paramount,  and  it  may 
be  necessary  to  determine  the  extent  of  the  available  water,  the  amount 
of  the  annual  rainfall,  and  its  flow-off,  absorption  and  evaporation; 
also  all  data  pertaining  to  reservoir  sites  and  ditch  lines.  As  a  survey 
of  this  kind  runs  into  considerable  money,  it  is  often  well  to  delay  its 
undertaking  until  at  least  some  of  the  ground  has  been  sampled.  In  the 
case  of  a  dredging  proposition,  the  determination  of  the  amount  of 
available  water-power  may  be  held  over  in  the  same  way. 

In  addition  to  the  factors  already  mentioned,  the  following  points 
should  be  investigated:  First,  all  questions  of  title,  royalty,  duty  on 
mining  machinery,  and  of  the  existence  of  legal  obstacles  to  regular 
operations.  '  ^ 

The  determination  of  the  valuable  content  of  the  property  in  question, 
that  is  sampling,  upon  which  hinges  the  crux  of  the  examination,  calls 
for  the  most  painstaking  and  systematic  care  on  the  part  of  the  engi- 
neer. He  must  determine  as  exactly  as  possible  the  tenor  of  the  ground 
and  the  yardage  available  for  working. 

Gold  in  gravel  exists  in  two  forms :  that  which  for  want  of  a  better 
name,  we  call  the  'gravel-gold,'  which  was  deposited  simultaneously 
with  the  gravel,  and  that  known  as  'flood-gold.' 

Economically  the  former  is  all  important,  as  it  forms  the  chief  supply 
of  gold  in  alluvial  deposits.  It  is  usually  laid  down  once  for  all,  and 
covered  by  subsequent  layers  of  material.  Generally  it  occurs  in  well 
defined  bands,  or  channels,  of  varying  width  and  thickness.  When  it 
occurs  coarse,  the  richest  portion  is  usually  found  on  or  near  bedrock. 
Strata  of  sand  are  generally  barren.  Surface  soil  may  contain  enough 
gold  to  warant  the  cost  of  its  removal, 


GOLD   PLACERS   OF    CALIFORNIA.  71 

Flood-gold  is  the  bane  of  the  engineer.  The  majority  of  eases  brought 
to  his  notice  b,y  the  uninitiated,  for  example,  deposits  where  natives  are 
making  a  living  wage  by  surface  panning,  prove  on  examination  to  be 
nothing  but  barren  gravel  beneath  a  thin  film  of  flood-gold.  Economi- 
cally this  form  of  gold  is  of  small  moment.  It  is  usually  a  finely 
divided  flour  or  flakes  derived  either  from  the  attrition  of  the  lighter 
part  of  the  gravel-gold,  or  being  deposited  at  the  present  day  by  the 
living  stream  from  quartz  veins  within  the  drainage  area.  It  is  of  a 
vagrant  nature,  and  migrates  wifh  each  seasonal  flood.  It  is  found 
concentrated  on  heads  of  islands  or  bars,  and  entangled  in  the  vegeta- 
tion covering  the  flood-plane.  It  is  purely  superficial,  and  never  attains 
any  concentration  in  depth. 

The  gold  in  the  rivers  of  Europe  is  usually  of  this  character;  notably 
in  Hungary,  where  the  peasants,  after  cleaning  up  the  river  carefully, 
can  depend  upon  a  new  'crop'  of  gold  in  the  succeeding  year.  Here  the 
rivers.  Avhether  worked  or  not.  show  no  augmentation  of  the  gold  from 
year  to  year  by  reason  of  these  'crops.'  The  rivers  of  Spain  are  also 
notorious  for  this  character  of  gold,  as  also  are  many  rivers  in  tropical 
countries.  Deposits  capped  with  flood-gold  may  or  may  not  contain 
gravel-gold  beneath;  therefore  its  presence  is  no  criterion  of  concentra- 
tion in  depth. 

High  banks  of  gravel,  suitable  for  hydraulicking,  can  sometimes  be 
sampled  by  channelling  their  surface  after  the  manner  in  which  veins 
are  sampled.  Usually  the  bank  is  divided  into  panels  of  one  or  two 
hundred  feet  Avide.  After  cleaning  the  face,  a  cut  is  commenced  as 
near  bedrock  as  possible,  and  extended  up  to  about  5  feet.  This  cut 
is  conveniently  about  a  foot  Avide  and  about  6  inches  deep.  Exact 
measurements  should  be  taken  of  the  length  and  breadth  and  depth  of 
the  cut  in  several  places,  and  the  cubic  contents  of  the  sample  in  place 
carefully  determined.  IMaterial  from  the  cut  should  be  measured  loose, 
and  carefully  washed  in  a  rocker;  the  gold  is  then  amalgamated,  parted, 
and  weighed,  and  the  value  per  cubic  yard,  based  on  the  volume  in 
place,  is  computed. 

Commencing  at  the  level  of  the  top  of  the  first  cut,  another  sample 
should  be  begun  and  the  operation  repeated  as  far  up  as  possible.  It  is 
not  necessary  that  all  the  divisions  of  any  one  sample  be  in  the  same 
vertical  line.  They  may  be  'staggered'  to  suit  convenience.  By  this 
method  the  exposed  surface  of  a  cliff  of  gravel  can  be  sj^stematically 
sampled ;  greater  facility  being  afforded  if  old  tailing  is  heaped  at  the 
base.  This  method  gives  accurate  results.  During  an  examination  of 
this  character  in  Peru  occasion  was  had  to  check  certain  cuts  by 
resampling,  and  it  was  found  that  the  yield  checked  almost  exactly. 
To  determine  the  gold  content  of  the  gravel  at  any  distance  back  from 
the  face,  and  also  the  pitch  of  the  bedrock,  either  shaft-sinking  or 
drilling  must  be  employed. 

Formerly,  in  California,  it  was  the  practice  to  sample  a  deposit  by 
first  installing  a  small  hydraulic  plant  for  the  purpose  of  washing  a 
portion  of  it.  If  the  clean-up  was  satisfactory,  the  property  was 
approved.  This  method  has,  happily,  fallen  into  disuse,  because  it 
gives  misleading  results.  It  gives  a  large  sample  from  one  place,  which 
may  or  may  not  be  representative  of  the  whole  deposit.  A  case  is 
known  where  $1,100  taken  out  by  the  experimental  giant  on  a  run  of 


72  CALIFORNIA    STATE    MINING    BUREAU.      . 

a  few  liuiidrecl  cubic  yards  was  subsequently  only  equalled  by  a  whole 
season's  working  of  200,000  cubic  yards. 

Small  dredges  have  sometimes  been  employed  to  test  dredging- 
ground,  especially  in  New  Zealand.  Where  funds  are  available,  this 
method  gives  most  satisfactory  results,  l)ut  is  bound  to  be  expensive  in 
the  first  cost.     Subsequent  expense  may  l)e  offset  by  the  clean-ups. 

It  is  difficult,  if  not  impossible,  to  determine  the  amount  of  the  sample 
taken  in  gravel  that  is  not  firm  enough  to  stand  when  channelled.  In 
sampling  gravel  of  this  character,  the  sample  should  be  weighed  and 
its  volume  in  place  calculated.  Before  commencing  to  sample,  either 
by  pits  or  channelling,  a  deposit  of  gravel  of  this  character,  several 
trial-tests  should  be  made  in  order  to  determine  the  weight  of  a  cubic 
3'ard  of  gravel  in  place.  The  amount  of  water  in  these  tests  should,  as 
nearly  as  possible,  correspond  with  that  in  the  subsequent  samples. 

Of  all  the  methods  of  testing  alluvial  ground,  that  by  means  of 
pitting,  or  shaft-sinking,  is  the  most  reliable.  Any  alluvial  ground  is 
not  properly  and  finally  tested  without  the  sinking  of  at  least  a  few 
shafts.  As  will  be  pointed  out  later,  drilling,  in  the  writer's  estimation, 
is  only  a  makeshift,  the  value  of  which,  aside  from  preliminary  testing, 
is  dependent  upon  checking  by  shafts. 

In  order  to  save  the  handling  of  excessive  material,  and  to  keep  down 
the  cost,  the  shaft  should  be  as  small  as  possible.  In  California,  Avhere 
the  ground  does  not  have  to  be  timbered,  a  size  of  2  ft.  3  in.  by  4  ft.  is 
often  employed.  This  gives  one  cubic  yard  of  material  to  everj^  three 
feet  of  depth.  Where  convenient,  all  of  the  material  is  put  through  a 
rocker.  Sometimes  channels  are  cut  down  the  sides  and  the  gravel  from 
the  measured  cuts  is  washed.  It  is  hardly  necessary  to  state  that  gravel 
taken  from  cuts  should  not  be  (|nartered  down,  or  'coned,'  as  in  vein- 
sampling,  for  the  gold  will  be  concentrated  by  each  re-handling,  and 
erroneous  results  obtained. 

Herewith  is  the  working  drawing  of  a  rocker,  used  with  excellent 
results  in  prospecting  ground.  Most  rockers,  the  designs  of  which  have 
been  published,  are  too  high  and  too  short,  and  consequently  are  not 
good  savers  of  fine  gold. 

The  cost  of  shaft-sinking,  compared  with  that  of  drilling,  is  high. 
Nevertheless,  this  high  cost  is  justifiable  in  consideration  of  increased 
confidence  in  the  accuracy  of  the  results  obtained.  A  shaft  not  only 
determines  the  value  of  the  gravel,  but  the  character  of  the  ground  can 
be  determined  in  much  greater  detail  than  in  case  of  the  drill.  Boulders 
lying  in  loose  gravel,  often  missed  by  the  drill,  are  exposed.  Bedrock 
can  also  be  cleaned  and  its  character  ascertained. 

Almost  all  of  the  dredging  grounds  in  California  have  been  tested 
both  before  the  erection  of  dredges,  and  afterward,  as  a  guide  to  opera- 
tion, by  the  Keystone  No.  3  traction-drill.  This  drill  uses  a  6-inch 
casing  and  is  operated  by  steam.  It  weighs  about  6  tons,  and  costs,  with 
all  tools  complete,  a  trifle  under  $2,000.  It  operates  a  string  of  tools  on 
a  cable  attached  to  a  drum,  the  tools  being  raised  by  the  pressure  of 
a  walking-beam,  and  dropped  by  gravity.  The  drill  and  stem  weigh 
about  800  lb.  The  crushed  core  is  removed  from  the  casing  by  means 
of  a  sand-pump  of  the  vacuum  type,  raised  and  lowered  by  an  inde- 
pendent reel  and  cable.     The  present-day  practice  in  drilling  with  this 


GOLD   PLACEKS    OP    CALIFORNIA.  73 

maeliine  is  to  drive  the  casing  one  or  two  feet  by  means  of  a  driving- 
block  clamped  on  the  drill-stem ;  then  by  means  of  the  drill  to  crush  the 
material  forced  into  the  pipe,  and  pnmp  it  out,  leaving  a  core  depend- 
ing on  the  character  of  the  gravel.  This  core  should  be  of  such  thickness 
as  to  prevent  an  inrush  of  material  from  below;  and  yet  it  should  not 
be  thick  enough  to  form  a  plug  that  Avill  force  away  gravel  from  the 
casing  wben  driving  is  continued.  The  nuiterial  from  the  pump  is 
collected  in  a  box,  where  it  sliould  l)e  measured,  and  carefully  panned 
or  rocked  afterward.  The  amount  of  core  that  has  been  pumped  from 
the  pipe  is  recorded  in  tlie  log,  and  also  the  num])er  and  size  of  the 
'colours,'  or  specks  of  gold,  as  well  as  the  character  of  the  ground. 

In  California  gold  is  usually  classified  in  three  different  sizes:  the 
finest  (No.  3),  weight  about  1  milligramme.  Those  running  from  1  to 
5  mg.  are  classed  as  No.  2;  over  5  mg.  as  No.  1.  The  fine  colours  are 
usually  aggregated  and  grouped  as  No.  3.  This  method  of  recording 
the  approximate  value  of  the  various  pumpings  enables  the  engineer 
definitely  to  locate  his  'pay-streaks.'  In  Alaska,  a  different  classifica- 
tion is  used,  namely.  No.  1,  2,  3,  and  nuggets;  No.  3  is  1  mg. ;  No.  2  is 
■1  mg.  and  No.  1  is  8  mg.,  while  colours  above  10  mg.  are  called  'nuggets.' 

After  the  hole  has  reached  bedrock  (into  which  it  should  penetrate), 
the  casing  is  pulled  by  means  of  what  is  called  a  'pulling-cap.'  A  cap 
screwed  on  the  top  of  tbe  upper  casing  is  hammered  upward  by  means 
of  a  heavy  steel  bar,  which  passes  through  the  cap  within  the  pipe,  and 
is  operated  by  the  walking-beam  and  cable.  The  operation  of  pulling 
pipe  in  the  Keystone  is  sometimes  serious,  consuming  a  good  deal  of 
time  and  occasionally  resulting  in  loss  of  casing,  due  to  the  stripping 
of  the  threads. 

In  drilling  witli  the  Keystone,  it  is  not  considered  good  practice  to 
drill  below  the  casing,  for  particles  of  gold  lodging  beneath  loose  flat 
rocks,  even  outside  the  area  of  the  bore,  are  shaken  down  into  the  pocket 
formed  by  the  drill  and  subsecpiently  taken  up  by  the  sand-pump.  On 
the  other  hand,  it  is  not  good  practice  to  have  too  thick  a  core  in  the 
pipe,  as  there  is  then  a  tendency  to  force  material  to  the  side  of  the 
path  of  the  descending  casing-material,  which  rightly  belongs  in  the 
core.  With  the  Keystone,  this  usually  only  happens  in  light  running 
ground.  As  a  general  rule  the  tendency  of  the  Keystone  is  toward  an 
excess  of  core. 

Employing  the  outside  diametei-  of  the  casing  as  a  basis  for  calculat- 
ing the  volume,  has  been  found  in  practice  to  give  high  results.  A  pipe 
formula  reducing  the  value  of  these  results,  and  based  on  check  sliaft- 
tests  made  by  W.  H.  Radford,  has  been  generally  accepted.  This 
formula  reduces  the  results  obtained  by  the  theoretical  formula  about 
14|%.     In  its  simplest  form,  it  is  as  follows: 

,,  ,         ,,  -  -,      Value  of  gold  obtained  x  100 

value  of  gravel  per  cu.  yd.^ — — — — ^-j— ; — : — -r— • 

Depth  of  hole  m  feet. 

It  has  been  stated  already  that  the  Keystone  is  apt  to  extract  an 
excessive  core.  In  order  to  correct  this  excess,  the  value  of  the  gold  is 
reduced  proportionally  by  the  ratio  of  the  number  of  inches  driven  in 
the  'pay-streak'  to  tlie  number  of  inches  in  the  excessive  core.  "When 
the  excess  is  in  barren  inaterial,  no  correction  need  be  made. 


74 


CALIFORNIA    STATE    MINING    BUREAU. 


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GOLD  PLACERS  OP  CALIFORNIA.  75 

Owiug  to  the  fact  that  the  casing  reiuaiiis  stationary  during  pumping, 
excess  core  can  be  accurately  measured  in  the  Keystone.  In  this  respect 
it  differs  from  the  Banka  hand-drill,  as  will  be  shown  later. 

At  Oroville,  California,  the  Keystone  drill  has  been  £mployed  for  so 
many  years,  and  so  much  of  the  ground  tested  by  it  has  been  subse- 
quently dredged,  that  it  is  possible  to  determine  within  narrow  limits 
the  ratio  between  actual  dredge-recovery  and  averages  indicated  by 
drilling.  Where  drilling  lias  been  carefully  done,  75  to  80%  of  the 
estimated  yield  can  be  recovered  by  the  dredge.  This  includes  all  losses ; 
not  only  those  in  the  tailing,  but  unrecoverable  islands  and  corners  left 
behind  in  the  course  of  operations.  In  Alaska,  however,  where  the 
ground  is  shallow,  the  gold  coarse,  and  on  a  shattered  bedrock,  dredging 
results  have  usually  exceeded  the  estimated  yield,  the  percentage  of 
recovery  being  from  103  to  198.  When  these  high  recoveries  have  been 
obtained,  tlie  dredging  depth  has  always  been  greater  than  the  drilled 
depth,  in  cases  by  as  much  as  30  to  40  per  cent. 

Alluvial  gold  is  found  occurring  under  such  widely  different  condi- 
tions, conditions  that  aff'ect  both  drilling  and  dredging  alike,  that  no 
arbitrary  factor  can  be  applied  in  estimating  the  yield  of  a  deposit  from 
the  results  obtained  l)y  drilling.  In  general,  the  choice  of  any  discount 
factor  must  be  guided  by  experience.  Special  conditions  govern  each 
ease,  such  as  the  fineness  of  the  gold,  the  proportion  of  clay,  the  number 
of  boulders,  the  method  by  which  the  deposit  is  to  be  worked,  and, 
finalh^,  the  personal  equation  of  the  drilling-crew. 

The  need  of  a  portable  drill  in  testing  alluvial  ground  has  led  to 
the  adoption  of  several  types  of  drills  operated  by  hand,  some  of  which 
are  patterned  after  the  well-digger's  tools.  Mr.  Newton  B.  Knox  had 
occasion  to  test  a  dredging  property,  in  Korea,  that  consisted  of  fine 
gravel  about  20  ft.  deep,  resting  on  a  soft  clay  bedrock.  The  gold  was 
concentrated  in  a  narrow  streak  from  6  to  12  inches  thick,  resting  upon 
the  bedrock.  There  being  no  drills  available,  one  had  to  be  devised  on 
the  spot.  Attempts  were  made  to  drill  by  following  the  Keystone 
method,  that  is,  to  drive  the  pipe,  break  the  core,  and  pump,  but  this 
had  to  be  abandoned  owing  to  the  ineffectiveness  of  the  home-made 
pump.     The  following  method  was  finally  adopted : 

Holes  were  bored  in  the  overburden  by  means  of  an  auger  to  a  depth 
of  five  or  six  feet,  and  a  3|-in.  pipe  (the  only  size  available)  was 
inserted.  This  pipe  was  shod  with  a  sleeve.  A  sleeve  sawed  in  half, 
and  screW'cd  on  top,  served  as  a  driving  cap.  The  pipe  was  driven  into 
the  ground  with  a  wooden  driving-block  operated  by  coolies  standing 
upon  a  movable  platform  supported  by  ladders.  While  being  driven, 
the  pipe  was  rotated  by  means  of  wooden  clamps  or  chain  tongs.  No 
attempt  was  made  to  pump  out  the  core.  The  pipe  was  driven  into  the 
bedrock  to  a  depth  of  about  two  feet,  after  which  it  was  pulled  by 
means  of  a  wooden  tripod  and  chain-blocks,  or  block  and  tackle,  the 
pipe  being  rotated  during  pulling. 

The  material  was  then  removed  from  the  pipe  by  means  of  a  long 
corkscrew  auger.  Occasionally  the  pipe  picked  up  a  boulder  in  its 
descent,  when  the  hole  had  to  be  abandoned  and  another  started. 
Otherwise  the  drill  worked  satisfactoril.v.  About  175  holes  were  put 
down  by  this  means,  wliich  gave  a  fair  value  to  the  ground.  The  owners 
of  the  property  afterward  had  it  re-drilled  witli  a  machine  of  the  Banka 


76 


CALIFORNIA   STATE    MINING   BUREAt*. 


type,  and  the  result  of  200  lioles  tallied  almost  exactly  with  the  home- 
made drill. 

One  of  the  hest-known  types  of  hand-drills  that  is  at  present  in  prac- 
tical use  is  the  Banka  type,  which  was  invented  by  a  Dutch  engineer  in 
the  year  1858  for  the  purpose  of  testing  tin  deposits  in  the  Dutch  East 
Indies.  This  drill  is  at  present  manufactured  under  its  original  name 
by  a  firm  in  Haarlem,  and  is  also  manufactured  in  the  United  States 
by  a  New  York  firm,  with  some  modifications  of  the  type,  under  the 
name  of  the  Empire  Drill. 

The  form  usually  employed  is  that  of  a  4-in.  flush- jointed  casing 
shod  with  a  steel-toothed  cutting-shoe.  The  platform,  upon  which  four 
men  stand  while  operating  the  string  of  tools,  is  attached  to  the  top  of 
the  easing.  The  various  tools  used  in  drilling  or  pumping  are  raised 
and  lowered  by  means  of  a  steel  rod  1  in.  square,  Avhich  is  jointed  in 
lengths  corresponding  with  the  lengths  of  casing,  which  are  usually 
five  feet.  The  theory  of  this  machine  is  that  the  casing  will  sink  under 
the  combined  weight  of  the  men  and  tools  while  the  platform  and  easing 
are  being  rotated  by  either  man  or  horse  power.  The  cutting  action  of 
the  revolving  shoe,  while  sinking,  is  claimed  to  cut  a  core  which  is 
representative  of  the  gravel  passed  through.  The  results  of  the  writer's 
experience  with  this  drill  have  not  been  entirely  in  accordance  with  the 
claims  put  forward  by  its  American  makers  and,  in  fact,  difficulties  have 
been  encountered  that  appear  to  have  been  entirely  overlooked  in  the 
discussion  of  the  drill  in  the  maker's  pamphlets. 

One  of  the  chief  points  of  variance  is  the  method  of  sinking.  It  is 
claimed  that  the  drill  will  sink  largely  by  rotation  alone.  In  attempt- 
ing to  sink  by  this  method,  and  keeping  a  careful  record  of  the  cores 
ol)tained  results  have  been  as  follows : 

First :  In  ground  containing  any  quantity  of  gravel  about  tlie  size 
of  a  man's  fist  or  over,  no  progress  whatever  is  made  hy  pure  rotation, 
and  eventually  driving  has  to  be  employed. 

Second :  In  ground  consisting  mainly  of  fine  gravel,  no  progress  is 
made  until  the  pump  has  reached  the  bottom  of  the  casing.  Then, 
while  pumping  with  little  or  no  core,  sinking  proceeds  with  fair  rapidity, 
but  in  measuring  the  core  obtained  it  is  found  to  be  excessive.  For 
this  reason  it  Avas  observed  that  good  progress  can  only  be  made  by 
rotation  when  the  material  is  pumped  away  from  under  the  shoe,  a 
process  which  necessarily  gives  excessive  cores.  The  best  progress  that 
can  be  made  in  sinking,  consistent  with  the  obtaining  of  an  accurate 
core,  is  made  by  driving  with  a  battering  ram,  approximately  a  foot  at 
a  time.  The  ram  should  not  be  too  heavy  as  better  core  is  obtained  with 
a  light  ram. 

Another  claim  made  for  this  drill  is  that  'Svhen  running  ground  is 
encountered  with  the  rotated  pipe  there  is  much  less  danger  of  getting 
an  incorrect  sample,  because  the  rotated  pipe  immediately  sinks  through 
the  gravel  till  it  strikes  solid  material."  In  the  writer's  experience  the 
presence  of  running  ground  has  always  made  itself  felt  by  an  influx 
into  the  pipe ;  and  while  sinking  to  more  solid  material  an  excess  core 
has  always  been  picked  up. 

One  of  the  weak  features  of  this  drill  is  the  method  of  removing  the 
core  from  the  pipe,  that  is,  with  a  ball-valve  pump.  In  breaking  gravel 
to  any  size  within  the  pipe,  either  by  means  of  a  pump  or  the  ordinary 


GOLD   PLACERS   OP    CALn<^ORNlA.  77 

breaking-bit,  a  certain  amount  of  the  core  is  always  driven  out  of  the 
casing  and  lost.  This  results  in  a  deficient  core.  In  shallow  gravel  this 
tendency  is  more  marked  than  in  holes  over  20  ft.  deep. 

Another  cause  of  deficient  core  is  the  peculiar  shape  assumed  by  a 
worn  shoe.  In  contrast  with  the  Keystone  shoe,  wliich  is  bevelled  toward 
the  outside  and  tends  to  retain  its  shape,  as  tlie  casing  is  not  rotated, 
the  shoe  of  the  hand-drill,  which  is  at  the  start  perfectly  flush  with  the 
easing  inside  and  out,  soon  wears  to  a  tapered  shape  with  the  greatest 
bevel  on  the  outside.  This,  of  course,  results  in  forcing  aside  material 
that  properly  belongs  to  the  core. 

The  actual  value  of  all  drilling  results  is  entirely  dependent  upon 
the  representative  nature  of  the  core  obtained.  If  an  excess  of  material 
from  the  productive  layer  is  secured,  unless  allowance  is  made  for  that 
excess,  the  results  obtained  from  the  hole  will  be  proportionately  high. 
A  deficient  core  from  the  productive  layer,  on  the  other  hand,  gives 
results  unfair  to  the  ground. 

The  ordinary  method  of  keeping  a  core  record  is  to  compare  the  total 
measured  volume  of  core  obtained,  upon  completion  of  the  hole,  with 
the  theoretical  volume  required  by  a  cross-sectional  area  of  the  casing 
and  the  depth  driven.  This  practice  gives  a  false  sense  of  accuracy, 
because  a  deficient  core  at  one  stage  of  the  drilling  is  often  balanced  by 
an  excessive  core  at  another.  If  the  excess  happens  to  come  from  the 
rich  layer,  the  results  will  be  too  high,  although  the  total  measured 
core  checks  the  theoretical.  A  driller,  knowing  that  his  core  was 
deficient  at  one  point  could  counteract  this  by  deliberately  taking  an 
excess  at  another,  and  yet  the  records  would  fail  to  show  the  incorrect 
nature  of  his  drilling. 

In  order  to  overcome  this  difificulty  and  to  keep  a  record  of  the  cores 
obtained  at  each  ])umping,  all  the  material  derived  from  each  successive 
foot  of  sinking  should  be  measured  carefully  in  a  measuring  box  and 
compared  with  the  theoretical  volume,  based  on  the  actual  sinking  of 
the  casing.  Thus  at  any  time  it  is  possil)le  to  tell  whether  excessive  or 
deficient  cores  are  being  obtained.  The  extra  work  involved  in  this  is 
negligible  and  does  not  interfere  with  the  work  of  the  panner. 

There  is  undoubtedly  a  slight  expansion  of  volume  of  the  gravel  after 
it  has  been  drilled  over  its  natural  volume  in  place.  The  amount  of 
expansion  of  gravel  under  these  conditions,  that  is,  after  it  has  been 
broken  up,  re-deposited  under  water,  and  drained,  has  been  determined 
in  various  Avays.  To  some  of  the  statements  made  with  regard  to  this 
expansion,  the  writer  took  exception  while  prospecting  some  ground  in 
Colombia.  One  of  these  statements  was  that  gravel  that  has  been 
excavated  occupies  from  30  to  40  per  cent  more  volume  than  when  in 
place.  This  might  possibly  be  true  in  the  case  of  loose  gravel,  but  for 
gravel  that  is  broken  up,  washed,  and  laid  down  again  under  water,  it 
is  certainly  entirely  too  high.  The  result  of  the  test  made  by  the  writer 
in  conjunction  with' Mr.  Knox  was  as  follows: 


Volume  of  eravcl  In  plaoo 

0.48  X  0.78  X  1.37  ft.=0.513  cu.  ft._- 

0.5  X  0.92  X  1.6  ft.=0.736  cu.  ft 

0.925  X  0.474  x  1.43  ft.=0.627  cu.  ft.. 


Viilume  of 

giavel  aftei' 

IJatio  of 

Witshing 

expan- 

measured 

sion 

cu.  ft. 

"r 

Kind  of  gravel 

0..J18 

101 

Very  fine  gravel  and  sand 

0.848 

115 

Medium  gravel 

0.090 

no 

Medium  gravel 

78  CALIFORNIA   STATE   MINING  BUREAU. 

Considering  the  above  tests  to  be  reasonably  accurate,  it  appears  that 
an  ideal  working  of  the  drill  without  excessive  or  deficient  core  should 
give  in  ordinary  gravel  110  to  115  per  cent  of  the  theoretical  core. 
By  careful  drilling,  the  writer  has  found  that  from  90  to  100  per  cent 
of  the  theoretical  value  can  usually  be  obtained. 

As  a  result  then  of  employing  the  theoretical  pipe  formula  and  using 
the  gold  recovered  from  the  above  amount  of  material,  it  is  seen  that 
the  calculated  results  will  have  been  automatically  discounted  from  10 
to  25  per  cent.  This  is  proved  by  the  fact  that  the  above  tests  show 
an  actual  expansion  of  from  10  to  15  per  cent,  whereas  careful  drilling 
gives  but  90  to  100  per  cent  of  the  theoretical,  volume.  This  discount 
does  for  the  hand  drill  what  the  Radford  or  Keystone  formula  does 
for  the  power  drill,  as  the  latter  formula  discounts  by  nearly  15 
per  cent. 

The  formula  usually  employed  in  calculating  results  with  the  Banka 
drill  for  gold  consists  in  dividing  the  value  of  the  gold  recovered, 
multiplied  by  240,  by  the  depth  of  the  hole  in  feet  to  obtain  the  value 
of  the  gravel  per  cubic  yard. 

The  Banka  drills  have  come  into  vogue  for  testing  gold  placers  so 
recently  that  the  results  obtained  upon  ground  that  has  been  subse- 
quently dredged  are  not  very  extensively  proved.  When  figuring  the 
actual  dredgable  value  of  the  ground,  it  seems  advisable  to  employ  at 
least  the  same  discount  of  20  to  25  per  cent  on  results  obtained  with 
the  hand  drill,  as  is  usual  in  the  case  of  the  Keystone. 

In  comparing  hand  and  power  drills  it  seems  logical  to  state  that 
each  type  of  drill  has  its  own  particular  scope.  The  Keystone  is  to  be 
preferred  in  places  where  the  ground  is  heavy,  where  roads  are  fairly 
good,  where  labor  is  expensive,  although  skilled,  and  where  repair  shops 
are  available.  These  conditions  exist  in  most  parts  of  California,  and 
the  power  drill  is  employed  extensively  there.  On  the  other  hand,  where 
transportation  is  a  problem,  where  labor  is  cheap,  and  the  ground  is 
fairly  light,  the  hand  drill  seems  to  be  the  logical  instrument.  The 
main  advantage  of  the  Keystone  over  the  Banka  type  is  that  it  can  drill 
stiffer  ground  and  deeper  holes.  It  requires  for  operation  a  jjanner,  a 
driller,  and  a  fireman,  as  well  as  a  man  and  team  to  haul  water,  fuel  and 
casing.  Its  divsadvantages  are  its  higher  cost,  its  weight,  its  liability 
to  expensive  repairs  and  its  cumbrousness  in  moving  over  heavy,  wet,  or 
rugged  ground.  In  pulling  pipe,  the  threads  are  often  stripped,  result- 
ing in  loss  of  casing,  and  at  times  the  operation  of  pulling  is  a  long  and 
tedious  one.  The  former  difficulty  could  readily  be  obviated  by  the 
adoption  of  flush  joints  and  heavier  threads. 

The  Banka  type  of  hand  drill  is  less  expensive ;  it  is  light,  weighing 
about  a  ton,  and  is  portable.  It  requires  few,  if  any,  repairs,  and  with 
the  exception  of  the  renewal  of  shoes,  not  many  extra  parts.  The  drill 
requires  a  panner,  four  men  on  the  platform,  and  a  man  and  horse  for 
motive  power.  If  a  horse  is  not  available,  men  must  be  employed  for 
the  work  of  turning.  In  deep  holes  it  usually  requires  at  least  eight 
men  to  turn  the  drill.  In  Colombia,  in  using  this  type  of  drill,  the 
writer  found  that  a  crew  of  12  men  afforded  an  opportunity  for  the  men 
on  the  platform  to  change  frequently  with  the  men  on  the  rotating 
sweeps.  It  would  have  been  impossible  to  work  one  crew  of  four  men 
continuously  on  the  platform  for  ten  hours  per  day,  but  by  working 


GOLD   PLACERS   OF    CALIFORNIA.  79 

them  in  alternating  shifts  so  that  they  were  only  working  on  the  plat- 
form for  one  hour  out  of  three,  mueh  l)etter  speed  was  o])taine(l. 

As  an  illustration  of  hand-drill  limitations,  Mr.  Newton  H.  Knox 
speaks  of  testing  some  ground  in  southern  Siberia.  The  deposit  con- 
sisted of  loose  gravel  from  9  to  15  ft.  in  dej)th,  eontaining  some  large 
stones  and  resting  on  a  hard  upturned  shattered  sandstone  bedrock.  Tiie 
gold  was  exceptionally  coarse,  miggets  as  large  as  peas  l)eing  common, 
and  it  occurred  generally  deep  within  the  crevices,  joints,  and  bedding- 
planes  of  the  bedrock,  quite  out  of  reach  of  the  drill.  Some  of  the  gold 
was  found  beneath  boulders  and  bedded  in  the  ground  and  lying  upon 
bedrock.  As  would  be  expected,  the  deposit  was  patchy.  Fifteen  holes, 
systematically  laid  out,  were  drilled  and  they  gave  discouraging  and 
erratic  residts.  To  test  as  far  as  possible  the  reliability  of  the  drills  a 
series  of  holes  was  put  down  across  a  valley  midway  between  shafts  that 
had  been  sunk  dui'ing  the  winter.  These  shafts  were  fifty  feet  apart 
and  had  given  results  of  20(^  to  $1.20  per  cubic  yard.  Though  the  holes 
were  sunk  in  the  bedrock,  the  drill  failed  to  find  any  gold  whatever,  and 
consequently  this  method  of  testing  was  discontinued. 

Another  type  of  drill  in  more  or  less  common  use  on  the  Pacific  coast 
and  in  Alaska,  which  obviates  some  of  the  difficulties  of  the  heavi(^r 
Keystone  power  drill  is  that  known  as  the  Union.  This  drill  is  driven 
by  a  light  gasoline  engine  and  is  mounted  in  such  a  way  that  it  can  be 
readily  transported  on  a  wheeled  frame.  This  drill  has  been  extensively 
used  in  Alaska  and  has  given  very  satisfactory  results  where  the  ground 
is  not  too  deep.  It  will  undoubtedly  drill  ground  which  is  much 
heavier  and  stiffer  than  can  be  drilled  satisfactorily  by  the  Banka  type. 

While  in  actual  operation  the  Keystone  drill  sinks  at  a  faster  rate 
than  the  hand  drill  and  yet.  if  the  tinu^  lost  in  moving  is  considered,  the 
hand  drill  averages  about  the  same  number  of  feet  per  day.  In  ordinary 
L'ravel  two  60-ft.  holes  a  week  is  a  good  average  for  the  hand  drill.  The 
pulling  of  the  casing  in  one  of  tiiese  holes  ordinarily  requires  only  about 
an  hour. 

In  Keystone  drilling  in  California  and  Oregon,  in  ordinarily  stiff' 
gravel,  about  30  ft.  per  day  is  a  arood  average,  l)ut  the  time  lost  in 
pulling  and  moving  reduces  the  weekly  average  to  about  the  same  as 
that  of  the  hand  drill. 

In  general  the  Keystone,  the  Union,  and  the  Empire  or  Banka  types 
are  standard  drills  which  are  excellent  in  their  respective  fields,  but 
each  one  retpiires  for  careful  work  considerable  experience  in  operation. 
In  order  that  confidence  may  be  placed  in  any  work  done  by  drilling,  it 
should  be  done  c(  nscientiously  and  cores  obtained  should  be  normal  and 
representative,  and  the  i)ipe  formulas  used  should  l)e  ajiplied  with  dis- 
cretion. In  the  writer's  opinion,  at  best  all  drilling  is  more  or  less  of 
a  make-shift  and  of  far  more  use  in  determining  bedrock  contlitions 
than  in  determining  the  values  in  the  groiuul.  Fer  the  latfei-  purjiose 
shaft  sinking  is  far  more  accurate  when  the  (puintity  of  material  taken 
out  from  the  shaft  is  washed  throu.iih  a  sluice  box  and  the  results 
obtained  from  this  are  later  checked  by  chaiuiel  cuts  made  on  all  four 
sides  of  the  shaft  and  sampled  independently. 

The  number  and  distribution  of  holes  and  .shafts  depend  chiefly  on 
the  character  of  the  deposit  and  the  distribution  of  the  gold.  Of  c(mrse 
the  more  holes  per  acre,  the  more  aeeui-ate  will  l)e  the  results,  but  also 

C— 2SC03 


80  CALIFORNIA    STATE    MINING   BUREAU. 

the  greater  will  be  the  cost  of  the  examination.  In  tlie  Oroville  district, 
where  tlie  gold  was  more  or  less  uniformly  distributed  through  the 
gravel,  as  soon  as  the  character  of  the  deposit  was  known,  one  hole  per 
acre  was  considered  sufficient.  In  new  and  untried  districts  or  where 
the  ground  shows  a  tendency  toward  spottiness,  tlie  holes  should  be 
closer  togetlier. 

Where  tlie  gold  occurs  in  channels,  holes  are  placed  at  regular  inter- 
vals from  200  to  500  ft.  apart,  with  the  intermediates  put  down  wher- 
ever necessary  to  define  the  limits  of  the  channel.  The  rows  are  usually 
started  1000  ft.  apart,  but  this  distance  is  determined  by  local  condi- 
tions, and  should  be  left  to  the  discretion  of  the  engineer  in  charge. 

It  is  often  possible  to  segregate  and  reject  low-grade  or  barren  areas, 
thereby  reducing  the  yardage,  but  bringing  up  the  average  value  for 
the  remaining  ground.  In  this  way  sufficient  yardage  may  be  proved  to 
justify  an  installation,  which  would  l)e  impracticable  if  the  whole  was 
taken  into  consideration.  Plaving  proved  the  yardage  and  determined 
the  character  of  the  gravel,  the  type  and  size  of  installation  can  be 
decided.  From  operations  under  similar  conditions,  the  working  cost 
per  yard  can  be  fairly  accurately  estimated,  and  consequently  the 
expected  yearly  profits  can  be  determined  within  reasonable  limits. 
Knowing  the  total  life  of  the  i:)roperty,  the  profits  to  be  derived,  and 
the  cost  of  equipment  and  installation,  its  present  worth  can  be  calcu- 
lated. Comparing  this  with  the  cost  of  the  property,  its  value  as  an 
investment  may  be  reasonably  approximated. 

In  all  prospecting  work,  the  factors  of  most  importance  are  the  experi- 
ence, judgment,  and  discretion  of  the  examiug  engineer.  A  wide  range 
of  experience  will  often  be  of  more  value  in  the  interpretation  of 
results  obtained  from  an  expensive  drilling  or  shaft  sinking  campaign 
than  any  other  factor  in  the  examination,  and  the  use  of  judgment  in 
interpreting  these  results  will  often  mean  the  difference  between  the 
al'>solute  and  unrecoverable  loss  of  a  large  investment,  or  the  profitable 
employment  of  the  same  in  insuring  a  long  and  useful  life  for  the 
property  under  consideration. 

Bibliography. 

Ilydrniilic    Mining.     Report    U.    S.    Mng.    Commission.     Mining   &    Scientific   Press, 
beginning;    Nov.    28,    1874,    and    running    contimiously    through 
May  1,  1875. 
Hydraulic   Elevators.     Mining  &    Scientific  rres.s,   .Tuly   21,    1877. 
Hydraulic  Mining.     Mining  tfc  Scientific  Press,  beginning  Oct.  13.  1877,  and  running 

continuously   thi'ough   Dec.   22.   1S77. 
Dry    Placer   Amalgamator.     Mining  &   Scientific   Press,    Nov.  10,   1877. 
First  Hydraulic  Elevator.     Mining  &  Scientific  Press,  Nov.  G,  1880. 
Drift  M'ining.     Mining  &  Scientific  Press,  Jan.  7,  1<8S2;   Jan.  14,  Jan.  21.  Jan.  28 

and   Feb.   4.  1SS2. 
Hydraulic  Elevators.     Mining   &    Scientific    Press,    Mar.    11,    1S82 ;    April   4,    180G : 

Dec.  I,  ]8r»4:  Sept.  20,  1800. 
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July  8,  3899:  Jan.  27.  190O:  Feb.  3,  1900;  Dec.  15,  1909. 
Hydraulic   Mining.     Mining    &    Scientific    Pres.s,    Apr.    10.    1897    to   June    12,    1897. 
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to  Feb.  5,  1898.     .^larch  25.  1899;  Mar.  10,  1900;  June  14,  1902. 
I'lacer  Mining  by  Machinery.     Mining  &  Scientific  Press,  Feb.  5,  1898. 
Wing  Dams.     Mining  &  Scientific  Press,  Mar.  5,  1898. 

Sampling  Placers.     Mining  &  Scientific  I'ress  June  17  1890;  June  24,  1899;  June  27, 
1^)03;  July  11,   1903;  Feb.  3,  190G ;  Oct.  20,  190<k 


GOLD    PliACERS    OF    CALII-'ORNIA.  81 

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April   12,  1902. 
Hydraulic  Mining.     Minin;?  &  Scientific  Tress,  Nov.  IG,  1901 ;  Dec.  6,  1902 ;  Aug.  5, 

liX).-);  Aug.  12,  1W7};  Fob.  14,  l9iJ3 ;  Apr.  18,  1903. 
Drift  Mining  in  Cement  Gravels.     Mining  &  Scientific  Tress,  Jan.  3,  1903;  Jan.  10, 

11X)3. 
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(,'entrifugal  I'unips  in  Ilydrauiicking.     ]\lining  &  Scientific  Tress,  April  2,  1902. 
Flume   Construction.     Alining  «fc   Scientific   Tress,   Oct.   22,   IIKM. 
Drag  Line  Work.     Mining  iV:  Scientific  Tress,  Dec.  17,  1904. 
Ilydrauiicking  witii  I'umps.     [Mining  &  Scientific  I'ress,  May  12,  190G. 
Ilydrauiicking  Bedrock  Cuts.     Mining  iV:  Scientific  Tress,  Dec.  1,  190(). 
Loss  of  Cold  in  I'lacer  Mining.     Mining  &  Scientific  Tress,  Feb.  23,  1907. 
I'ump  Sluicing  for  Gold.     Mining  <V:  Scientific  Tress,  Feb.  13,  1909.     July  3,  i;X)9  • 

Nov.   11,   1911. 
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Trospecting  I'lacers.     Mining  »&  Scientific  I'ress,  May  22,  1909;  Jan.  7,  1911;  Jan. 
28.  1911 ;  Feb.  'ITk  1911  ;  July  G,  1912 ;  May  9,  1914 ;  Oct.  10, 
1914;  July  4,   1914. 
Nature  of  Gold  in  AUuvials.     Mining  &  Scientific  Tress,  May  29,  1909. 
Art  of  Tiping.     Mining  &  Scientific  Tress,  Nov.  13.  1909. 
Ilydrauiicking  Tipe  Clay  Gravels.     Mining  &  Scientific  Tress,  Jan.  22,  1910. 
Stacker   for   Ilydrauiicking.     Mining  »&    Scientific   Tre.ss,    Feb.   19,   1910. 
Hydraulicking  in  California.     Mining  &  Scientfic  Tress,  May  21,  1910;  Dec.  2,  1911. 
Dry  Tlacer  Machinery.     Mining  &  Scientific  Tress,  Nov.  12,  1910;  July  13,  1912. 
Losses  in  Hydraulic  Mining.     Mining  &  Scientific  Tress,  Jan.  21,  1911. 
Elevating  with  Ruble  Grizzly.     Mining  &  Scientific  Tress,  April  13,  1912. 
I*ay  Streak  in  Tlacers.     Mining  <Si:  Scientific  Tress,  .June  1,  1912. 
Stacking  Hydraulic  Tailings.     Mining  «&  Scientific  Tress,  Aug.  24,  1912. 
Thawing  Frozen  Ground.     Mining  &  Scientific  Tress  Jan.  17,  1914. 
Undercurrents.     Mining  &  Scientific  Tress,  June  5,  1915;  May  1,  1915. 
Trospecting  Wet  Tlacers.     Mining  &  Scientific  Tress,  Jan.  9,  1915. 
Gold    Saving   on    Dredgers.     Mining   &    Scientific    Tress,    Aug.    5,    1916. 
Self  Shooter.     Mining  &  Scientific  Tress.  Mar  17,  1917 
Timbering  in  Deep  Tlacers.     Mining  &  Scientific  Tress,  Aug.  11,  1917. 
Dams.     Trans.  Am.  Soc.  Civil  Engrs.,  Volume  57. 

Log  Dam  Construction.     Eng.  »&  Miu,  Journal.  Nov.  2S,  1896;  June  17,  1899. 
Cement  Gravel  Mill     Eng.  &  Miu.  Journal,  May  1,  1897. 
Notes  on  Hydraulic  Mining.     p]ng.  &  Min.  Journal,  Oct.  30,  1897. 
Sweeny  Tlacer  Machine.     Eng.  &  Min.  Journal,  Mar.  2G,  1898. 
Evans  Hydraulic  Elevator.     Eng.  &  Min.  Journal,  May  14,  1808. 
Sampling  Tlacers  by  Shaft.     Eng.  &  Min.  Journal.  July  29.  1899. 
Mining  Lowgrade  Tlacers.     Eng.  &  Min.  Journal,  Nov.  11.  1899;  Nov.  30.  1901. 
Tump   for  Ilydrauiicking.     Eng.  &  Min.  .Journal,   March   7,   1903. 
Hydraulic  Mining,     l^ug.   &   Min.    Journal.    May   li),   1906;   June   2,   190G ;    June  9, 

190(;;   Nov.   l(t.   T.XIG;    Nov.  17,   190G ;  Dec.  2G,   1908;   Apr.  8. 

1911;   Mar.  13.   1915. 
Trospecting.     Eng.  &  Min.  Journal.   Dec.  21.  1!X)7 ;   Dec.  12,   1908;   May  1,  1909; 

Mar.  12,  1910;  Apr.  5,  1913;  July  24,  1915;  Aug.  21,  1915. 
Ruble  Elevator.     Eng.  &  Min.  Journal,  Nov.  7,  1908;  Dec.  IS,  1909. 
Saving  Fine  Gold.     Eng.  &  Min.  Journal,  Aug.  26,  1911;  Apr.  25,  1914. 
Dry  Washing.     Eng.  &  Min.  Journal,  Oct.  17,  1914;  Jan.  23,  191,5. 
Scraper  for  Gravel  Mining.     Eng.  &  Min.  .lournal,  Aug.  14,  1915. 
rk)ld  Recovery  in  Tlacers.    Eng.  &  Min.  Journal,  Sept.  18,  1915. 
Hydraulic  Mining.     Second    Annual    Report.    Cal.    State    Mining    Bureau.     Ninth 

Annual  Iteport,  Cal  State  Mining  Bureau. 
Drift  Mining.     Eighth  Annual  Report,  Cal.   State  Mining  Burcaii. 
Hydraulic  Dredging.     Trans.  An>.  Inst.  Min.  Engrs..  Volume  40.     Also  Vol.  6. 
Saving  Fine  Gold.     Trans.  Am.   Inst.  Min.   Engrs.,   Volume  IS. 
Gold  Dredging  in  California.     Cal.  Slat(>  .Min.  Bur.,  T.uUetins  No.  36  and  .\o.  57. 


82  CATJPORNr.V    STATE    MINING    BUREAU. 

ClIAl'TKR  111. 
PLACER  RESOURCES. 

The  principal  gold  placers  of  ('alifoniia  are  located  in  the  eastern 
half  of  the  State  in  the  Sierra  Nevada  Mountains  hetween  Lassen 
('Onnty  on  the  north  and  Mariposa  County  on  tlie  south.  It  is  from 
this  area  that  the  g-reater  l)ulk  of  California  gold  has  heen  produced  and 
will  he  produced  in  the  future.  For  this  reason  a  map  showing  the 
location  of  the  auriferous  channels  of  this  region  has  been  prepared -in 
considerable  detail. 

On  the  other  hand,  it  nmst  not  be  assumed  that  all  California's  gold 
has  been  produced  from  this  area.  A  small  proportion  of  it  came  from 
the  dry  placers  in  the  south,  and  some  of  it  from  the  upper  section  of 
the  Kern  River,  as  well  as  from  various  outlying  districts  in  the  Sierras 
and  in  the  Coast  Range.  Second  only  in  importance  to  the  Sierra 
region  is  that  portion  of  the  State  embraced  in  Del  Norte,  Humboldt, 
Siskiyou,  and  Trinity  Counties,  drained  for  the  most  part  by  tributaries 
of  the  Klamath  River.  The  Smith  River  in  Del  Norte  County  also  con- 
tributed a  portion  of  the  total. 

Starting,  then,  in  the  northen  portion  of  the  State,  a  discussion  of  this 
region  is  the  first  that  will  be  taken  up.  Although  the  Smitli  River  is 
not  a  tributary  of  the  Klamatli,  it  will  also  l)e  included  in  the  same 
general  heading. 

Section  I. 
KLAMATH    RIVER    REGION. 

Certain  geological  concepts  should  be  clearly  outlined  before  taking 
up  the  discussion  of  this  region  in  detail,  in  order  not  only  to  consider 
the  origin  of  the  gold  in  this  region,  but  also  to  distinguish  ])etween 
two  distinct  types  of  auriferous  deposits  which  predominate;  namely, 
the  Cretaceous  shore-line  or  conglomerate  deposits;  and  the  fluviatile 
deposits  of  the  same  period,  together  with  all  secondary  concentrations 
of  the  same. 

During  the  Cretaceous  period,  when  the  shore-line  of  the  ocean 
extended  east  of  the  chain  of  islands,  which  is  now  the  Coast  Range, 
and  its  waters  beat  against  the  foothills  of  what  is  now  the  Sierra 
Nevada  Range,  there  existed  an  island  of  almost  continental  dimensions 
close  off  the  shore,  which  embraced  in  area  territory  which  is  now 
included  in  Humboldt,  Siskiyou,  Trinity,  Shasta,  Del  Norte,  and 
Tehama  Counties  in  California,  as  well  as  a  large  portion  of  soutli- 
western    Oregon. 

The  shore-line  of  this  island  on  the  west,  to  a  great  degree,  coincided 
with  the  present  western  coast  line.  Starting  at  Gold  Bluff,  its  course 
can  be  traced  northerly  nearly  to  Requa,  where  it  swings  northeasterly 
and  crosses  the  upper  portion  of  Smith  River;  thence  going  northerly 
to  about  the  line  of  the  Rogue  River  in  Oregon ;  thence  easterly  toward 
Grants  Pass,  and  southerly  down  toward  Cottonwood  Creek  and  Henley 
in  California;  thence  still  further  southerly  down  the  Shasta  Valley 
to  Yreka,  where  a  turn  southeasterly  carries  it  across  Shasta  County 
to  Redding  and  almost  down  to  Red  Bluff;  thence  northwesterly  again 
through  Salt  Creek  and  out  to  Big  Lagoon  and  up  to  Gold  Bluff'  again. 


GOI.D    PI.ACERS   OP    CALIFORNIA.  83 

The  draiiiajjfe  of  this  island  was  largely  expressed  in  two  rivers;  one 
flowing  northerly,  and  the  otlier  sontherly.  These  gravels  have  been 
classed  as  those  of  the  "second  period  of  erosion."  The  southward 
flowing  stream  can  be  traced  from  the  upper  Trinity,  through  ^Nliners- 
ville  and  the  Weaverville  Basin,  out  by  way  Df  La  Grange  to  Hayfork 
and  Hyampom.  The  northward  flowing  stream  can  be  traced  from  the 
Salmon  River  in  Siskiyou  County,  through  ("rapo  Meadows  and  Portu- 
guese (,'reek,  on  the  Klamath,  to  the  head  of  the  Illinois  River  in 
Oregon,  and  thence  out  by  way  of  Briggs  Creek  and  Galice  Creek  to  the 
northern  shore-line.  In  addition  to  this,  there  were  coastal  streams  of 
minor  importance,  the  largest  of  which  corresponded  in  location  to  the 
present  drainage  system  of  Clear  Creek,  whose  ancient  delta  is  expressed 
at  Igo  and  Ono. 

The  shore-line  gravels  can  be  clearly  traced  through  Siskiyou  and 
Shasta  counties,  and  have  already  received  considerable  discussion, 
notably  in  Mr.  Russell  Dunn's  article  on  the  "Auriferous  Conglomerate 
in  California,"  in  the  Twelfth  Annual  Report  of  the  State  Mineralogist 
of  California.  P^or  many  years  this  shore-line  was  regarded  as  a  true 
river  channel,  whose  behavior  occasioned  great  confusion ;  but  when  its 
true  character  as  a  succession  of  coastal  river  deltas  was  recognized, 
the  distribution  and  manner  of  occurrence  of  its  auriferous  portions 
was  much  clarified.  Where  it  has  been  crossed  by  more  recent  river 
systems,  they  have  been  to  a  large  extent  enriched  thereby ;  notably  in 
the  case  of  the  Smith  River  in  Del  Norte  County  and  that  of  Cotton- 
wood Creek  in  Siskiyou  Count.y.  The  fact  that  in  many  places  thin 
beds  of  Cretaceous  and  Eocene  sandstone  overly  the  conglomerates  has 
led  to  some  confusion.  This  merely  proves,  however,  that  intermittent 
subsidences,  taking  place  after  the  river  deltas  had  been  formed  for 
long  periods  and  the  shifting  beds  of  the  rivers  had  distributed  their 
burden  of  gravel,  have  covered  this  coastal  area  for  considerable  depths. 
In  many  places  this  conglomerate  belt  can  be  found  resting  directly  on 
Cretaceous  deposits,  although  the  early  rocks  are  not  far  beneath.  The 
presence  of  well  defined  rims  in  a  few  places  indicates  a  complete  sub- 
mergence of  the  coastal  rivers  by  this  subsidence  as  the  coast  line 
receded. 

The  general  strike  of  the  axis  of  the  Coa.st  Range  through  Del  Norte 
and  Humboldt  counties  is  northwest  and  southeast,  with  a  south- 
westerly dip  as  the  crest  of  the  range  is  nearest  to  the  eastern  slope. 
The  Tertiary  rocks  preponderate  over  those  of  the  Cretaceous.  From 
Re(|ua  northerly  to  the  extreme  end  of  the  State,  the  country^  is  very 
rugged  and  covered  with  forests,  the  rocks  greatl.y  resembling  those  of 
the  Sierras.  The  gravels  of  the  rivers  carry  both  gold  and  platinum 
values.  In  this  northern  region  serpentine  is  the  principal  rock.  Perido- 
tite  is  also  foiuul  in  places.  The  greater  part  of  the  geological  forma- 
tion of  the  Smitli  River  country  is  composed  of  sedimentary  rocks  of 
Tei'tiary  and  Cretaceous  age.  Apparently,  though  there  are  granite  out- 
croppings,  it  does  not  form  the  axis  of  the  main  Coast  Range.  In  the 
western  portion  of  this  country-  sedimentary  rocks  are  i)revalent, 
although  toward  the  east  granite  forms  the  nucleus  of  most  of  the 
ranges.  The  slates  carry  thin  trains  of  (juartz  which  are  often  rich 
in  gold. 


84  CALIFORNIA    STATE    MINING   BUREAU. 

Almost  all  of  the  gold-bearing  gravels  of  the  Smith  River  Basin 
contain  black  sands  which  carry  some  platinum.  The  beach  sands  also 
carry  values  in  gold  and  platinum. 

The  Cretaceous  shore-line,  carrying  on  from  Hayfork,  hit  the  present 
coast-line  somewhere  nortti  of  Trinidad,  turning  north  by  way  of  Gold 
Blutf.  It  passes  over  the  Klamath  east  of  Requa  and  runs  northerly 
through  Del  Norte  County  across  the  Smith  River,  crossing  it  on  both 
the  south  and  middle  forks.  The  black  sands  of  the  coast  in  this  region 
have  been  a  field  of  investigation  for  many  years,  containing  platinum 
and  a  very  fine  comminuted  gold.  Wherever  the  shore  conformation 
and  the  direction  of  wind  and  tide  have  been  right,  there  has  been  a 
considerable  concentration  of  both  gold  and  platinum.  A  plant  built 
two  miles  south  of  Crescent  City  on  a  so-called  magnetic  repulsion 
prinicple  proved  a  complete  failure.  The  plant  was  located  just  back 
of  the  shore-line  and  consisted  of  a  suction  pipe,  a  convej'or  to  the 
plant,  a  large  area  of  aluminum  plates  with  riffles,  a  second  area  of 
small  aluminum  plates  similar  to  the  first,  and  a  third  metal  plate  of 
unknown  composition,  together  with  electrical  equipment  for  charging 
the  plates.  The  sand  was  delivered  from  the  .suction  pipe  line  to  a 
revolving  screen.  The  sand  from  the  screen  was  hauled  up  an  incline 
to  the  top  of  the  treatment  plant  where  water  was  added  in  sufficient 
quantity  to  give  it  flowing  properties,  four  thousand  gallons  of  water 
per  minute  being  used.  The  sand  and  the  water  flowed  over  the  riffle 
area  at  the  same  time  that  an  alternating  current  of  electricity  was 
passed  through  the  plates.  The  black  sands  were  supposed  to  be 
repelled,  leaving  the  gold  and  platinum  in  a  concentrated  condition. 
Theoretically,  a  good  extraction  was  supposed  to  be  made,  but  prac- 
tically and  conunercially,  the  plant  was  a  total  failure. 

At  Gold  Blufi:  the  steady  erosion  and  concentration  of  the  Cretaceous 
shore-line  resulted  in  values  which  in  the  earlier  days  permitted  carry- 
ing the  sands  out  by  mule  loads  for  treatment.  A  shovelling  plant  was 
later  put  up  which  was  unsuccessful,  as  tlie  thin  streak  of  auriferous 
sand  was  covered  by  too  great  an  overburden  of  barren  material.  The 
same  thing  occurred  at  Big  Lagoon.  The  Cretaceous  shore-line,  crossing 
by  Salt  Creek  over  to  Big  Lagoon  and  running  north  along  the  coast 
to  Gold  Bluff,  turns  northerly  and  crosses  the  Klamath  above  Requa. 
From  here  it  runs  northeast  to  Smith  River.  The  region  between  the 
south  and  middle  forks  of  Smith  River  has  large  areas  of  semi-cemented 
gravel  of  low  tenor,  in  places  concentrated  by  recent  streams.  The 
commercial  value  is  not  very  great,  although  deposits  cover  large  areas. 

At  Harris  Flat,  between  upper  and  lower  Coon  mountains,  at  Big 
Flat  and  on  the  ridge  between  Hurdy  Gurdy  Creek  and  Gordon  Creek, 
the  gravel  has  been  prospected  Avith  little  encouragement.  It  is  situated 
from  2000  to  3500  feet  in  elevation  and  bas  been  prospected  to  a  depth 
of  over  70  feet  without  reaching  bedrock. 

At  Rattlesnake  and  Little  Rattlesnake  mountains  a  deposit  of  large 
acreage  exists  which  has  been  prospected  to  a  depth  of  300  feet.  This 
shows  a  very  low  gold  content.  The  gravel  seems  to  be  of  three  different 
ages,  and  the  shore-line  has  probably  changed  at  least  three  different 
times.  Each  stratum  of  gravel  has  a  different  character  of  gold.  The 
only  commercial  jirnducer  of  this  section  was  Big  Flat.     This  paid  well 


GOLD   PLACERS   OF    CALIFORNIA.  85 

at  one  time  ])ut  the  pay  gravel  has  lonj<  since  been  worked  out.  Big 
Flat  was  undoubtedly  enrielied  by  the  concentration  of  hioher  gravels. 

Small  bars  along  the  north,  the  middle  and  the  south  forks  of  Smith 
River  have  been  worked  and  there  is  much  gravel  left  tliat  is  of  doubtful 
value.  The  south  fork  was  the  richest  because  its  drainage  has  cut  all 
of  the  high  shore  gravels  the  most  freciucntly.  At  the  junction  of  the 
north  and  middle  foi'ks  of  Smith  Kiver  there  is  a  large  bar  with  very 
heavy  wash  and  very  light  gold  content.  At  the  junction  of  Smith 
River  and  ^lyrtle  Creek  a  good  bar  was  mined  in  the  earlier  days  but 
was  probal)ly  locally  enriched,  as  Myrtle  Creek  has  been  the  best  of  any. 
It  was  prol)ably  fed  from  local  ledges  and  stringers.  As  high  as  $1,100 
has  been  taken  out  in  one  piece  on  Myrtle  Creek.  Practically  all  of  the 
bars  are  well  worked  out  at  present.  Craig  Creek  has  produced  both 
platinum  and  gold  for  many  years  and  some  ground  still  remains  on  it. 
Monkey  Creek  has  produced  heavy  gold  and  still  has  some  unworked 
ground  on  it.  ]\Iill  Creek  and  Clark  Creek  were  also  worked  consider- 
al)ly  in  the  early  days.  Clark  Creek  is  reputed  to  have  i)aid  as  high  as 
$70  per  man  per  day.    This  is  a  concentration  of  the  old  shore  gravels. 

The  mines  of  the  Smith  River  were  mostly  small  hydraulic  proper- 
ties where  one  or  two  small  giants  were  used  during  the  winter  months. 
In  many  instances  a  plain  fire  hose  and  nozzle  were  used  on  the  gravel 
banks,  and  the  water  collected  from  the  gulches  in  the  rainy  season 
was  stored  in  small  reservoirs. 

This  country  is  accessible  mainly  from  Trinidad  northerly  along  the 
coast  by  wagon  road  and  also  from  Grants  Pass  by  wagon  road.  There 
are  no  railroads  at  present  constructed  through  the  county,  and  the 
distributing  point  at  Crescent  City  is  only  reached  by  small  steamers 
and  schooners  from  the  south.  The  principal  mines  of  the  district  are 
the  Aurora  Hydraulic  Mine,  located  at  French  Hill;  the  Dr.  Young 
^[ine.  also  located  in  the  French  Hill  district ;  the  Dave  Savoy  ]N[ine  in 
the  French  Hill  district;  the  Elkhorn  Mine,  located  at  the  mouth  of 
Patrick  Creek;  the  French  Hill  Mine  in  the  district  of  the  .same  name: 
the  George  Washington,  situated  on  Monkey  Creek;  the  George  Cook 
]\rine  on  the  middle  fork  of  Smith  River;  the  Kaus  ]\Iine,  situated  in 
the  Craig  Creek  mining  district ;  the  Myrtle  Creek  ]\[ine,  situated  in  the 
district  of  the  same  name ;  the  Monkey  Creek  ^Mine,  situated  in  the 
^[onkey  Creek  mining  district;  the  Xels  Christensen  ]\Iine,  situated  near 
the  junction  of  the  south  and  middle  forks  of  Smith  River;  the  Oak 
Flat  Mine  in  the  Patrick  Creek  district,  and  the  Walter  Cook  Mine  in 
the  French  Hill  district. 

The  ])rincipal  water  supi)ly  for  mining  pur})oses  comes  from  Patrick 
Creek,  Craig  Creek,  JMonkey  Creek,  the  south  and  middle  forks  of 
Smith  River,  Myrtle  Creek,  and  Shelly  Creek. 

In  general,  the  gravels  of  Del  Norte  County  are  no  longer  of  great 
economic  imj^ortance,  their  tenor  beiiur  too  low  for  operation  on  any 
large  scale.  There  are.  however,  possibilities  for  the  small  miner  content 
with  making  moderate  wages.  The  beach  sands  of  Del  Norte  County 
present  a  pi'oblem  on  which  hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars  have  been 
spent  with  little  successful  practical  result.  It  is  possible  that  some 
ineans  of  extracting  the  gold  and  platinum,  which  undoubtedly  exist 
in  these  deposits,  may  yet  be  found,  but  to  the  writer's  knowledge  there 
is  at  present  no  way  of  making  them  commercially  productive. 


<S()  CAI.IKOHNIA    STAT1-:     MI.\L\(i    BlUKAU. 

Klainatli  River  and  its  tributaries  liavc  ]n\m  the  most  important 
agents  in  the  distril)ution  of  placer  gold  tlirougli  Siskiyou  (Uuinty.  The 
lengtli  of  the  Klamath  is  about  362  miles,  l)ut  only  the  i)ortion  from 
Honibrook  down  to  tiie  mouth  of  the  river  is  of  interest  to  the  placer 
miner.  In  tliis  section  gold  is  found  wherever  the  river  has  deposited 
gravel,  whethei-  it  he  in  the  old  channel  several  hundred  feet  above  the 
present  stream  or  in  tiie  present  river  ])ottom.  l-Jelow  the  mouth  of 
the  Scott  River  the  Klamath  has  cut  through  the  northern  end  of  the 
Coast  Range  practically  at  right  angles  to  its  trend.  This  portion  is 
marked  by  very  steep  and  rugged  canyons  with  occasional  flats  and 
high  bars,  in  which  the  river  has  meandered  in  f(?rmer  ages. 

Conunencing  at  the  mouth  of  the  Klamath  River,  the  first  natural 
division  with  regard  to  phy.sical  characteristics  is  from  Requa  up  to 
Tule  Rapids.  From  Tule  Rapids  to  Weitchpec  the  river  increases  its 
grade,  but  from  Tide  Rapids  down  to  the  mouth  it  is  marked  by  a  much 
lighter  grade  and  by  relatively  smaller  gravel.  From  AVeitchpec  down 
the  lower  Klamath  is  practically  virgin  grou.nd  so  far  as  the  placer 
miner  is  concerned.  One  reason  for  this  is  that  a  large  portion  of  the 
river  is  still  in  the  Iloopa  Indian  Reservation,  and  has  not  as  yet  been 
opened  for  prospecting.  As  stated,  above  Tule  Rapids  the  bars  are  not 
so  frequent  and  the  wash  is  fairly  heavy.  Below  Tule  Rapids  and 
running  to  Requa  is  an  area  which  still  has  some  promise  for  prospect- 
ing and  exploitation  by  large  capital  seeking  investment  in  placer 
mines.  The  only  means  of  access  at  present  is  by  motor  boat  up  the 
Klamath  River  from  Requa. 

Extending  from  the  low  bars  of  the  river  back  for  several  hundred 
feet  above  the  river  are  high  bars  which  carry  gold  to  a  depth  of  a 
hundred  feet  and  over.  In  most  cases  water  would  have  to  be  brought 
from  tributary  creeks  of  the  Klamath  for  several  miles.  Below  the  falls 
at  Tule  Rapids  the  wash  in  the  present  channel  and  in  the  low  bars 
becomes  much  lighter.  At  -Johnson's  Bar  there  is  a  long  bar  with 
about  50  feet  dump  into  the  present  river,  which  was  worked  for  many 
years  to  a  depth  of  one  hundred  feet  by  the  ow^ners,  who  were  Indian 
allottees,  in  a  very  snuill  way  by  water  that  was  l)rought  from  Pequam 
Creek.  This  bar  is  said  tr>  have  averaged  about  25  cents  a  yard.  The 
wash  is  very  light.  There  is  a  high  bar  above  this  of  about  the  same 
depth.  From  here  on  up  to  Tule  Rapids  bars  are  frequent  on  both 
sides  of  the  river,  and  of  such  a  nature  as  to  be  possible  hydraidic 
ground. 

There  is  nnicli  ground  below  here  which  seems  to  have  some  possi- 
bilities for  dredging  purposes;  notably  near  Johnson's,  at  Blue  Creek, 
at  Blakes,  at  Terwah,  and  from  Terwah  down  almost  to  Requa.  The 
wash  appears  to  be  light  and  there  should  l)e  some  values  in  the  ground 
which  averages  around  a  hundred  feet  deep.  If  it  contains  su.fficient 
value,  this  ground  could  best  be  w^orked  by  one  large' company  which 
could  control  all  of  the  bars  and  work  directly  up  the  river.  The  allot- 
ments can  l)e  purchased  by  consent  of  the  allottees,  together  with  that 
of  the  Indian  Agency.  This  consent  could  probably  only  be  gained  by 
the  transportation  and  consolidation  of  all  of  the  local  Indian  families 
to  a  few  bars  on  the  river  where  they  could  establish  a  permaiuMit 
dwelling  place.  One  of  the  large  bars  might  be  set  nside  for  a  settle- 
ment.    If  proi)erly  cultivated,  any  one  of  the  hirgei-  bars  could  support 


(iOM)    l'l;AC'ERS    OF    CAl.IFOUMA.  87 

the  entire  i)()i)ulatioii.  Graveyards  would,  ol*  eourse,  have  to  Ix; 
respected.  This  is  perhaps  an  opportunity  worth  investigating,  as 
there  is  very  much  virgin  ground  of  known  richness  which  has  only 
remained  unworked  by  reason  of  the  fact  that  it  was  in  Indian  hands. 

Owing  to  tile  fact  that  little  liydraulic  mining  was  done  in  the  early 
days  in  tliis  section,  the  bars  between  Jolnison's  and  Weitchpee  are  siill 
mostly  unprospccted.  In  oidy  tliree  bars  on  the  lower  Klamath  has  any 
work  been  done,  and  records  of  this  work  are  absolutely  lackir^g.  These 
l)ars  were  at  Johnson's,  at  Pequam  Creek  and  below  Orcutts  ranch. 
The  best  water  right  in  this  section  is  from  Per^uam  Creek.  Dnmp  is 
good  all  the  wa\'  down.  Water  can  also  be  obtained  from  Blvie  (,'reek. 
Since  early  days  this  has  been  Indian  territory,  and  the  bars  liave  been 
alloted  to  the  Indians  for  use  and  for  their  liomes,  hence,  mining  has 
been  forbidden,  and  for  this  reason  there  has  been  very  little  prospect- 
ing done.  Areas  on  these  bars  should  l)e  segregated  1)y  drill  pros- 
pecting, and  no  attempt  should  be  made  to  mine  all  the  bars,  as  there 
is  undoubtedly  much  of  the  ground  that  would  not  pay. 

For  hydraulic  mining  many  high  channels  appear  to  be  left,  at 
elevations  approximating  a  thousand  feet  above  the  river.  Some  of 
these  prospect  very  well.  AVater  and  dump  are  good  and  the  bars  ai-e 
not  heavy. 

Most  of  the  lower  j)ortion  of  the  river  is  in  Franciscan  slate  and 
sandstone.  Shortly  below  Tnle  Rapids  these  are  replaced  by  the  Paleo- 
zoic metamorphics.  The  bars  of  the  tributary  creeks  do  not  carry  much 
gold.  It  is  only  in  the  old  channels  of  the  Klamath  that  good  values 
appear  to  be  found;  although  there  are  no  mines  operating  in  this 
vicinity.  From  Tule  Rapids  to  Weitchpee  the  Paleozoic  rocks  are  pre- 
dominant. Weitchpee  is  at  the  junction  of  the  Trinity  River  with  the 
Klamath.  From  here  on  up  the  grade  becomes  steeper,  and  the  bars  arc 
less  fre(|uent.  The  water  supply  is  less  from  Weitchpee  down  to  Tule 
Rapids  than  it  is  from  Tule  Rapids  down  to  the  mouth. 

At  AVeitchpec  there  is  a  long  high  bar  on  the  Klamath  on  the  Indian 
Reservation,  wdiich  might  pay  to  work  by  hydraulic  mining.  It  has  an 
e.xcellent  dump  and  water  could  be  brought  from  Bluff  Crtn^k  or  from 
Hopkins  Creek  on  the  south  side  of  the  river.  Below  IIo[)kins  Creek  is 
a  ])laster  bar  with  the  front  rim  gone,  and  a  very  heavy  top,  which  has 
been  worked  unsuccessfully.  At  Bluff  Creek  and  above  at  Big  Bar  a 
high  bar  was  worked  unsuccessfully. 

It  is  rei)orted  that  the  saving  was  very  pour  and  that  much  gold  was 
run  over.  At  two  or  three  small  bars  on  both  sides  of  tlie  river  in  this 
vicinity  mining  is  still  being  carried  on  in  a  small  way.  At  French 
Bar  much  money  was  taken  out  in  the  early  days.  Below  this,  at  Red 
Cap  Creek  on  the  south  side,  is  a  bar  which  might  i)ay  to  work  from  its 
favorable  location,  gcod  dump  and  excellent  water  right.  It  is  al)out 
fifty  acres  in  extent.  Below  Camji  Creek  are  low  bars  which  look  irood 
but  have  poor  duni]).  The  Salstrom  Place  and  the  Wildei"  Ranch  have 
a  large  area  of  workable  ground  which  should  be  good  if  properly 
prospected  first,  in  order  to  direct  the  mining  work  intelligently.  At 
Orleans  Bar  is  a  large  area  of  unworked  ground  o)i  both  sides  of  the 
rivci-.  On  the  north  side  llie  fnrit  ground  has  ix'cii  worked  otf.  Ou 
the  south  side  of  the  y'ww  the  old  Perch  .Mine  was  the  best  paying- 
gi'ouud   and    consi{|er;ible   tironnd    is    left;    but    the    l)ars  of  tlu'   Orleans 


88  CALIFORNIA    STATE    MINING   BUREAU. 

Company,  botli  the  high  and  the  low,  contain  a  much  larger  area  of 
gravel,  averaging  about  ten  cents,  witli  a  very  good  dump.  The  water 
is  brought  from  Camp  Creek.  There  are  some  bars  on  Red  Cap  Creek 
and  also  on  Camp  Creek  which  have  paid  in  a  small  way.  Outside  of 
this,  few  of  the  creek  bars  have  paid  to  work.  This  country  is  almost 
altogether  in  the  Paleozoic  metamorphies.  The  grade  is  much  steeper 
and  the  boulders  are  heavier.  On  the  other  hand,  there  is  much  more 
Avater  for  working  purposes  to  be  taken  from  Hopkins  Creek,  Bluif 
Creek,  Camp  Creek,  Slate  Creek  and  Red  Cap. 

The  lower  portion  of  the  river  is  only  accessible  by  trail  or  by  boat, 
but  the  region  from  Weitchpee  up  is  accessible  by  wagon  road  for 
about  seven  months  of  the  year  from  the  coast.  Most  of  the  ground 
above  Weitchpee  would  only  be  suitable  for  hydraulicking,  on  account 
of  the  size  of  the  boulders  and  the  character  of  the  bedrock. 

Above  Orleans  are  a  few  small  bars  between  there  and  Somes.  These 
are  mostly  unimportant,  but  some  of  them  have  been  worked  in  a  small 
way.  The  Bondo  Bar  was  worked  in  the  early  days  and  paid  very  well. 
The  Reese  Ranch  and  Fish  Ike's  place  are  bars  of  fairly  good  extent. 
The  Perch  property,  now  belonging  to  Mr.  Young,  still  contains  much 
good  ground  in  the  form  of  a  high  bar.  The  Nelson  property  contains 
at  least  a  mile  of  the  old  channel  of  the  Klamath  River  with  two  or 
three  benches  on  it.  It  is  said  to  prospect  well  in  places.  It  has  a  dump 
of  from  500  to  600  feet,  but  the  water  problem  is  almost  unsolvable. 
Water  would  have  to  be  brought  all  the  way  from  Rock  Creek  or 
Dillon  Creek,  as  both  the  Reynolds  and  the  Ten  Eyck  Creek  water  rights 
are  not  very  large.  The  installation  would  certainly  be  very  expensive. 
The  Hickok  Mine  on  and  near  Ten  Eyck  Creek  extends  about  half  a 
mile  along  the  river.  Here  there  is  very  heavy  wash  and  a  very  good 
dump.  There  are  several  small  bars  on  the  south  side  of  the  river 
above  here  all  the  way  to  Farnums  Ranch.  The  Sphinx  Bar  opposite, 
has  a  low  and  a  high  bar  on  a  short  turn  of  the  river.  At  Harley's  and 
at  the  Lord  Mine  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river  is  a  short  turn,  with 
at  least  two  courses  of  the  Klamath  upon  it.  Much  gravel  is  left  at  the 
Lord  Mine,  but  it  apparently  could  not  have  been  pay.  From  Harley's 
Ranch  up  the  river  for  two  miles  are  numerous  large,  high  bars  with 
considerably  heavy  wash.  There  is  excellent  dump  but  not  much  water. 
On  the  north  side  of  the  river,  below  Rock  Creek  and  extending  out 
above  Dillon  Creek,  is  an  almost  unbroken  bar  which  has  been  slightly 
worked  on  the  front  rim.  The  water  right  and  dump  are  excellent. 
At  Blue  Nose  and  one  other  bar  below,  there  is  considerable  gravel  that 
is  reported  as  of  only  moderate  value,  although  it  has  been  worked  for 
many  years.  At  Thomas  Ranch  and  at  Aubery's,  as  well  as  at  Elliotts 
and  Cottage  Grove,  a  good  deal  of  gravel  is  still  left  as  both  high  and 
low  bars.  IMost  of  the  above  mentioned  gravel  will  run  around  ten 
cents  a  yard,  and  would  have  to  be  handled  on  a  large  scale  in  order 
to  make  any  profit.  There  are  spots  where  there  is  richer  ground. 
This  country  is  practically  all  in  the  Paleozoic  metamorphies.  Most  of 
the  hydraulic  mines  of  the  Klamath  River  were  in  this  section.  It  is 
now  accessil)le  by  road.  Somes  Bar  on  the  Salmon  River,  near  its 
junction  with  the  Klamath,  is  the  center  of  a  gravel  regi(m  which  will 
l)e  discussed  under  the  head  of  Salmon  River.  The  country  from 
Orleans  to   Somes  is  a  pocket  and  stringer  country  in  which  many 


GOLD    PLACERS   OP    CALIFORNLV.  89 

small  quartz  mines  have  operated.  Prospect  Hill  above  Orleans  has 
contributed  much  by  its  erosion  to  the  richness  of  the  l)ars  of  the 
Klamath  River.  The  principal  water  rights  in  this  section  are  from 
Rock  Creek  and  from  Dillon  Creek. 

Immediately  above  Elliott's  is  a  low  l)ar  and  then  a  high  one.  Alxmt 
three  miles  above  is  a  long  low  bar.  From  liere  on  there  is  nothing 
until  Crawford's  Creek  is  reached.  Beyond  this  there  is  a  series  of 
high  and  low  bars:  some  of  them  well  worked  and  of  considerable 
extent,  until  about  nine  miles  below  Happy  Camp.  The  Siskiyou  i\Iin- 
ing  Company  worked  a  large  area  in  this  section.  Most  of  the  gravel 
has  a  good  dump  and  fairly  heavy  wash.  A  high  bar  extends  on  the 
east  bank  of  the  river  for  several  miles  below  Happy  Camp,  which  has 
only  been  worked  intermittently.  It  has  a  dump  of  300  to  400  feet. 
Two  miles  below  Happy  Camp  and  extending  from  six  to  eight  miles 
above  is  a  series  of  high  and  low  bars  of  considerable  extent.  Tiie  Davis 
or  Van  Brunt  i\Iine  and  the  Siskiyou  Mining  Company  are  the  principal 
companies  that  have  operated  here.  On  the  low  bars,  if  the  gravel  were 
prospected  sufiticiently,  there  is  an  excellent  chance  to  vise  a  Ruble 
grizzly  here,  as  there  are  many  long,  low  flats  with  little  dump  which 
might  pay  to  work.  At  Happy  Camp  and  south,  on  both  sides  of 
Indian  Creek,  is  a  low  bar  which  might  be  worth  prospecting.  There  is 
about  ten  feet  of  gravel,  but  it  is  said  to  be  very  good  on  bedrock. 
There  is  little  dump  here.  About  five  miles  above  Happy  Camp  there 
is  an  opportunity  to  turn  the  Klamath  River  by  one  and  a  quarter 
miles  of  tunnel  and  secure  sixt.y  feet  of  drop  for  power  purposes. 
Power  for  driving  this  tunnel  could  be  furnished  by  the  flume  of  the 
Siskiyou  Mining  Company.  This  will  leave  nearly  seven  miles  of  the 
Klamath  channel  dry  for  mining  in  the  summer.  As  this  portion  of 
the  river  has  never  been  wing-dammed,  it  might  contain  consideralde 
gold.  The  creeks  in  this  neighborhood  have  not  been  worked  much. 
Indian  Creek,  which  comes  into  the  river  near  Hapi)y  Camp,  Avas  very 
spotty.  The  gravel  has  a  low  content,  but  pocket  mines  and  hill  sluic- 
ing operations,  such  as  at  Classic  Hill,  are  reported  to  have  been  very 
good.  Below  Happy  Camp  the  principal  water  rights  are  from  Clear 
Creek  and  Crawford  Creek. 

Titus  Creek,  Elk  Creek  and  Independence  Creek,  all  heading  on  the 
^larble  ^lountain  side,  have  been  worked  to  a  considerable  extent,  but 
there  are  still  numerous  small  bars  on  these  creeks  which  miglit  be 
attractive  to  the  small  miner  and  prospector.  In  this  i-e.giou  we  i)ass 
into  the  older  metamorphic  belt  which  has  been  classified  as  pre- 
Cambrian.  From  Happy  Camp  to  Hamburg  Bar  these  rocks  are  pre- 
dominant. The  principal  enrichment  of  the  placers  in  this  region  nnist 
therefore  have  come  from  the  erosion  of  the  gravels  of  the  second  cycle, 
which  have  already  been  mentioned  in  the  first  part  of  this  chnpter. 
In  the  neighborhood  of  Portuguese  Cr('(>k  traces  can  be  found  of  the 
crossing  of  the  old  noi'thwai'd  flowing  channel  of  the  Cretaceous  island 
which  had  its  outlet  in  Oregon  on  Galice  Creek.  The  ])rincipal  water 
i-ights  of  this  section  come  from  Grider  Creek  and  Thomi)son  Creek, 
as  well  as  Seiad. 

Six  miles  from  Happy  Camp  by  road  and  about  eleven  miles  on  the 
course  of  the  river  gravel  l)ars  ])egin  airain  at  or  near  the  AVonds  ^line 
below  Thompson  Creek.     From  here  on  the  gravel  is  intermittent  with 


!)()  C'AIJI'OHNIA    STATK    MINING    BUREAU. 

very  lieavy  wash  all  the  way  to  Seiad.  The  Seiad  Valley  appears  to  he  a 
possible  dredging  area  of  several  hundred  acres  in  extent.  Immediately 
above  Seiad  is  a  hydranlie  liar  which  has  not  yet  l)een  worked  out.  In 
fact,  from  Seiad  up  to  Hamburg  is  an  almost  unbroken  section  of  bars 
of  fairly  good  dump.  There  are  high  and  low  bars  on  both  sides  of  the 
Klamath,  most  of  which  have  been  partly  Avorked,  while  others  are 
virgin.  The  water  here  is  a  rather  difficult  problem,  although  Grider 
C'reek  is  the  best  water  right.  This  country  is  all  accessible  by  wagon 
road. 

From  Hamburg  up  to  Oak  Bar,  still  passing  through  the  zone  of  pre- 
Cambrian  metamorphics,  we  find  most  of  the  bars  to  be  barren.  There 
are  small  bars  on  Horse  Creek  which  have  been  unprofitable;  and  on 
tlie  Scott  River,  which  takes  its  entire  course  through  the  later 
metamorphics,  there  is  an  exceptional  enrichment,  which  is  pro])abl.v 
the  cause  of  what  gold  content  there  is,  in  the  bars  at  Hamburg  and 
below.  On  Horse  Creek  there  is  considerable  gravel  of  doubtful  value, 
which  is  in  the  creek  bed  and  lias  very  poor  dump.  The  higher  bars 
have  been  worked  off  wlierever  there  is  pay  enough  to  work.  Above 
Oak  Bar  the  river  again  runs  through  the  Paleozoic  metamorphics,  and 
we  find  considerable  enrichment  again.  The  tributaries  of  the  Klamath, 
among  which  are  Beaver  Creek,  Humbug  Creek,  Barkhouse,  ]McKinney 
and  Little  Humbug  Creek,  are  all  very  rich,  and  still  contain  some 
gravel  which  should  be  of  interest  from  the  hydraulic  standpoint.  On 
Beaver  Creek  is  an  extensive  area  of  gravel  which  looks  promising. 
From  Oak  Bar  to  Horn  brook  the  country  has  been  characterized  by 
heavy  pocket  gold.  Ihere  are  small  hydraulic  mines  on  both  sides  of 
the  river  but  the  wasli  is  very  heavy.  This  region  was  Avorked  in  the 
early  days  and,  as  it  was  quite  accessible,  has  been  fairly  well  worked 
out,  with  the  exceptions  noted.  Near  Hornbrook  the  old  Cretaceous 
shore  line  is  crossed  by  the  Klamath,  and  this,  together  with  Cotton- 
wood Creek,  forms  the  uppermost  zone  of  enrichment  of  the  Klamath 
River  in  the  State  of  California. 

The  approximate  production  of  the  area  from  Hornbrook  down  to 
Ham])urg  Bar  has  l)een  over  $400,000.  The  principal  mines  of  the 
Klamath  River  were  worked  in  the  early  days.  At  present  there  are 
probably  not  more  than  half  a  dozen  operations.  Below  Thompson 
Creek  at  the  Woods  Mine ;  at  and  in  the  neighborhood  of  Happy  Camp : 
in  the  neighborhood  of  Orleans ;  and  also  on  the  upper  river  above  Oak 
Bar,  these  few  .operations  comprise  the  present  production  areas  of 
the  Klamath   River. 

So  far  as  the  tributaries  of  the  Klamath  are  concerned,  the  Trinity 
River  is  the  most  imi)ortant ;  next  to  this  the  Scott  River,  and  next  to 
that  the  Salmon.  These  rivers  will  be  taken  up  in  the  order  of  their 
relative  importance  commencing  with  the  Trinity  River. 

TRINITY    RIVER. 

The  main  Trinity  River  rises  in  the  neighborhood  of  Scott  ^Mountain, 
flows  south  for  about  sixty  miles,  and  then  makes  a  detour  westerly 
for  another  sixty  miles  until  it  unites  with  Klamath  River  at  Weitchpec 
in  TTiuiiljoldt  County.  The  south  fork,  which  joins  it  at  Salyer,  flows 
ill  a  iKirthwesterly  direction  from  the  Volo  Bolo  IMountains  to  the  junc- 
tion.    The  main   river  for  the  most   part  has  its  course  through  the 


(JOM)    TLACKKS    OF    CAIjIFOKNIA.  01 

Paleozoic  secliinciitaru's  wliit'li  are  the  source  oT  most  of  tlu;  yolcl  in 
California.  On  the  other  liaiul,  tlie  south  foi'k  has  most  of  its  drainage 
in  the  i)re-Caml)rian  nietamorphics,  wliicli,  a.s  a  whole,  are  bari'en  of 
liold-producing  ledges  and  stringers.  Commencing  at  the  jun(;tioti  of 
the  Trinity  with  the  Klamath  ;  for  about  two  miles  above,  the  gorge 
is  very  steep.  At  the  Hull  Raneli  there  is  a  high  bai-  which  might  be 
suitable  for  hydraulic  mining,  although  water  is  comparatively  inaccas- 
sible.  Above  this,  the  Iloopa  Valley,  which  is  one  to  two  miles  in  width 
and  six  or  seven  miles  in  length,  contains  many  liats  and  low  bars 
which  })robably  have  dredgeable  areas  within  them.  The  gravel,  how- 
ever, is  shallow  and  could  only  be  worked  by  a  small  dredge  or  a  liuble 
grizzly,  as  the  dump  into  the  river  is  very  poor.  The  gravel  is  not  very 
heavy  and  the  water  rights  in  the  Hoopa  Valley  are  good,  the  best  one 
being  from  Mill  C^reek.  Most'  of  the  land,  though,  is  allotted  to  tlie 
Indians  and  is  their  sole  support.  For  this  reason  it  would  be  difficult 
to  obtain  permission  from  the  Government  to  mine  these  l)ars.  There 
are  about  three  hundred  to  five  hundred  acres  of  unallotted  land  that  is 
suitable  for  placer  mining.  Some  of  this  ground  is  reputed  to  contain 
very  good  values. 

Above  the  Hoopa  Valley,  the  Sugar  Bowl  Ranch  offers  the  next  po.ssi- 
ble  dredging  area.  There  is  a  tremendous  amount  of  high  wash  gravel 
on  the  mountain  between  Iloopa  and  Willow  Creek,  but  the  gravel  is 
very  low-grade  and  water  is  inaccessible.  Below  Willow  Creek,  for 
three  or  four  miles,  there  are  wide  flats  which,  with  proper  prospecting, 
might  segregate  areas  of  dredging  or  Ruble  ground. 

From  Willow  Creek  up  to  Salyer  are  several  high  bars  which  might 
contain  portions  suitable  for  hydraulicking.  The  dump  is  good  and  the 
wash  is  very  light.  The  water  problem  is  a  little  difficult  however. 
There  are  several  large  bars  at  the  junction  of  the  south  fork  at  Salyer. 
These  bars  are  both  high  and  low. 

The  south  fork  of  the  Trinity  is  a  stream  along  which  little  mining 
has  been  done.  From  Auto  Rest  down  to  Trinity  many  hnrs  occur, 
which  might  have  possil)le  hydraulic  ground  among  them.  Some  of 
these  bars  contain  a  large  acreage.  At  Hyampom  there  is  a  large 
acreage  which  might  prove  good  dredging  ground  if  there  is  sufficient 
value  and  depth.  It  probably  contains  platinum,  and  might  pay  to 
prospect  for  tliis  metal.  At  the  head  of  Corral  Creek  some  heavy  gold 
has  l)een  taken  out  from  the  old  river  wash  which  occurs  there.  This 
is  on  the  divide  ])etween  the  south  fork  and  the  main  Trinity  River. 
The  pay  is  fairly  good  for  ground  sluicing  work,  and  tiiere  seems  to  be 
some  ground  left  which  might  pay  to  work.  Between  Hayfork  and 
Hyampom,  along  Hayfork  Creek,  a  little  mining  has  been  done  but  not 
to  any  great  extent.  A  serpentine  belt  crosses  the  south  fork,  and 
fairly  good  platinum  prospects  have  been  found  at  some  of  the  bars. 
It  is  possible  that  platiiuim  might  be  the  main  valuable  constituent 
of  these  gravels.  Ettapom  Creek  has  given  results  in  jilatinum  pi-os- 
pecting  luit  has  not  been  mined  very  extensively. 

Tiie  south  fork,  as  a  whole,  is  very  rugged,  and  water  installations 
would  be  very  expensive.  The  watershed  is  precijutous  aiul  the  water 
supply  is  naturally  limited  in  sj^ring  and  sununer.  Grouse  Creek  has 
the  best  water  right  of  any  of  the  tributaries.  ]\Iost  of  the  gravel  is 
rather  fine  wasli.  as  heavv  wash  onlv  crosses  at  the  foot  of  the  canvons 


92  CALIFORNIA   STATE    MINING   BUREAU. 

aud  falls.  IMost  of  tlio  bars  have  good  duiii|),  hut  tlic  expense  of  l)rin<j- 
ing  on  Mater  would,  in  many  cases,  be  proliitjitive. 

At  the  head  of  Brown's  Creek  and  on  Duncan  Creek,  extending  down 
to  Carr  Creek,  is  a  liigh  channel  similar  to  the  La  Grange,  and  it  might 
possibly  be  the  same  channel  emptying  into  the  shore  line  which,  cross- 
ing below  Hayfork  on  Salt  Creek,  runs  over  below  Gold  Bluff  in  Hum- 
boldt County.  This  channel  can  be  traced  down  Hayfork  for  several 
miles.  It  has  the  same  type  of  dead  wash  in  it  as  the  La  Grange,  and 
the  gravel  is  not  very  heavy.  There  is  a  large  area  in  the  Hayfork 
Valley  which  looks  as  if  dredgeable  areas  might  be  selected  in  it.  Near 
Wildwood  on  the  Hayfork  is  considerable  platinum. 

Continuing  up  the  main  river  from  Salyer  to  Burnt  Ranch,  the  main 
river  is  interesting  for  its  platinum  content.  There  is  an  almost 
unbroken  succession  of  high  and  low  bars,  mostly  on  the  south  side. 
At  Burnt  Ranch  itself  there  is  probably  an  excellent  hydraulic  property 
if  portions  of  it  were  properly  segregated  by  drilling.  Water  is  avail- 
able and  the  dump  is  excellent. 

Above  Burnt  Ranch  at  Cedar  Flat  is  good  mining  ground  on  both  the 
liigh  and  the  low  bars.  A  short  turn  of  the  river  at  Don  Juan  should 
have  some  good  ground  on  it.  Some  good  ground  is  still  left  at  Taylor's 
Flat  and  at  French  Creek  Bar,  but  witliout  very  much  dump.  At  Big 
Bar  itself  is  an  inside  channel  two  miles  long  that  has  paid  well  on  the 
upper  end  at  the  Tinsley  Avorkings. 

Below  Burnt  Ranch  is  the  junction  of  the  New  River  with  the 
Trinity.  At  the  mouth  of  the  New  River  there  appears  to  be  a  small 
gravel  bar  of  about  ten  acres  that  prospects  fairly  well,  but  it  is  not 
of  sufficient  extent  to  Avarrant  putting  water  on  the  claim.  The  first 
real  gravel  bar  as  we  ascend  New  River  is  the  Siegler.  On  both  sides  of 
the  river  is  a  large  deposit  of  gravel  of  about  150  acres.  It  has  never 
been  prospected  and  is  a  very  likely  looking  bar.  Water  could  be 
obtained  from  Big  Creek  on  the  south  side  and  from  Bell  Creek  on 
the  north  side  of  the  river.  Bell  Creek  is  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
above  the  ranch,  but  Big  Creek  is  the  better  Avater  right.  Above  Sieg- 
ler's  is  Hoboken  Bar,  also  called  Grant's  Slide.  It  has  been  mined  AA'ith 
Avater  from  Bell  Creek,  but  no  record  as  to  the  A'alues  is  obtainable.  A 
large  bar  is  still  left  and  might  be  Avorth  prospecting.  Big  Creek  on 
the  opposite  side  is  half  a  mile  beloAV  this  bar.  The  next  bar  above  is 
a  small  claim  at  the  mouth  of  China  Creek,  about  tAventy  acres  in 
extent.  It  has  not  been  mined.  A  bar  immediately  aboA^e  this  has 
been  totally  mined  off,  however.  This  bar  contained  very  heaA'y  gold, 
like  most  of  the  Ncav  River  country. 

Above  China  Creek  another  large  bar  is  exposed  Avhicli  contains  over 
a  hundred  acres  of  gravel.  A  company  started  operations  ten  A^ears 
ago  Avith  Avater  out  of  Bell  Creek  and  quit,  but  no  definite  reason  could 
be  ascertained.  A  good  Avater  right  from  Panther  Creek  could  be  put 
on  this  claim.  Above  Noble's  Bar  on  Panther  Creek  is  Henderson's 
Bar  and  the  Nigger  ]\Iine,  AAdiich  is  being  Avorked  at  present.  The 
Schoolhouse  Bar  is  another  portion  of  this  property.  Above  this,  the 
Burchoff  claim  has  been  mined  on  the  rim,  but  the  main  bar  is  left. 
Above  this,  Jackass  Bar  Avas  mined  in  the  early  days  and  is  claimed  to 
have  been  good  pay.  The  Owens  Bar,  aboA'e  this,  has  been  mined  Avith 
Avater  from  small  gulches,  Avith  no  record  as  to  pay. 


GOLD  PLACERS  OF  CALIFORNIA.  93 

The  New  Rivei'  I\Iiiiing  Compauy  used  to  own  a  very  large  1)ar  on  the 
soutli  side  of  the  river  above  the  Owens  Bar.  This  property  is  now 
owned  by  the  Ladd  Brothers.  Mining-  has  been  done  on  this  bar  for 
many  years,  and  it  is  claimed  to  be  good  if  properly  prospected  and 
segregated.  A  good  water  right  from  Quimby  Creek  is  on  the  mine, 
consisting  of  al)ont  2500  inches  nnder  150  foot  head  for  about  five 
months  out  of  tlie  year.  Approximately  a  quarter  section  of  ground 
is  left.  A  couple  of  high  bars  are  also  above  this  claim.  This  is  about 
the. biggest  property  on  New  River.  Across  from  this  is  the  McAtee 
claim,  which  is  a  short  turn  of  the  river  with  three  separate  channels. 
Some  of  this  ground  should  be  good.  It  paid  30  cents  a  yard  when 
mined  during  1920  and  1921.  Water  is  piped  across  the  river  from 
the  Ladd  claim. 

At  the  mouth  of  Devil's  Canyon  is  a  fair  sized  ])ar.  It  has  not  much 
dump,  but  the  values  are  said  to  be  good.  Water  from  Devil's  Canyon 
could  be  brought  to  all  of  the  bars  in  the  vicinity.  This  is  a  very  good 
water  right.  Pony  Creek,  which  is  a  tributary  of  the  east  fork,  is 
reported  to  have  produced  about  $3,000,000  in  the  early  days.  It  has 
practically  all  been  mined  off.  The  east  fork  and  New  River  have  been 
wing-dammed  by  Chinamen  with  good  results. 

The  Slide  Creek  channel  is  supposed  to  contain  some  good  ground, 
but  the  dump  is  poor  and  the  wash  is  quite  heavy.  Some  of  the  ground 
was  prospected  by  the  Tener  IMining  Company,  and  their  results  were 
36  cents  a  yard  for  about  22  feet  in  width  and  30  feet  in  depth.  The 
Boomer  Quartz  ]\Iine  at  the  head  of  this  creek  is  reported  to  have  pro- 
duced about  a  quarter  of  a  million. 

Eagle  Creek  and  Virgin  Creek  should  be  interesting  to  the  small 
miner,  as  they  carry  heavy  gold  in  rather  small  bars  and  fiats. 
Emigrant  Creek  was  good,  but  is  mostly  mined  out.  Quimby  Creek 
was  also  a  good  producer. 

Coming  back  to  the  main  river,  for  about  four  miles  above  Big  Bar, 
are  small  placer  bars  either  on  the  river  or  above  it,  which  are  all 
courses  of  the  present  Trinity  River.  Some  of  the  gravel  is  quite  heavy. 
]\fany  of  these  bars  have  a  production  record  and  still  have  some  good 
gravel  left.  From  this  point  on  to  Helena  the  canyon  was  too  steep  to 
permit  the  forming  of  bars.  Above  the  north  fork.  Red  Hill  is  still 
a  good  hydraulic  property  if  water  could  be  brought  to  it. 

On  the  north  fork  itself  are  some  good  flats  in  which  small  dredging 
areas  might  be  segregated.  Rattlesnake  Creek,  Grizzly  Creek  and 
White's  Creek  still  have  some  good  bars  in  them,  which  might  be 
attractive  to  tbe  small  miner.  Both  the  north  and  the  east  forks  have 
considerable  ground  on  them  that  might  be  suitable  for  a  Ruble  Grizzly. 
On  the  east  fork  of  Yellow  Jacket  Creek  both  Rich  Gulch  and  Crump 
Gulch  were  very  rich  and  still  have  some  good  ground  left  on  them 
that  might  be  attractive  to  the  small  miner. 

Canyon  Creek  has  been  worked  for  fifty  ycai-s  and  still  has  much 
good  ground  left  on  it  for  hydraulic  purposes.  The  best  chances  for  a 
large  mine  lies  seven  miles  up  this  creek.  The  dump  is  excellent,  but 
water  would  have  to  be  brought  six  miles  to  work  the  high  bars.  Five 
acres  that  were  mined  off  are  reported  to  have  averaged  about  40  cents 
a  yard.  A  ditch  line  from  the  east  fork  would  bring  2000  inches  or 
more  of  water  for  six  months.     The  bedrock  is  slate  and  the  gronnd 


94  CAI.tKOKNr.V    STATE    jVIINIKU    Bl'REAU. 

very  easily  mined.  The  hank  averages  rcoiii  iM)  to  GO  feet  deep  and 
has  some  fine  loam  on  top. 

North  F^rk,  now  named  Helena,  has  one  or  two  hij,'h  l)ars  that  were 
worked  in  the  early  days,  and  some  iiround  is  still  left.  Prom  North 
Fork  np  to  Lewiston  are  many  low  hars  on  wliieh  good  dredging  areas 
can  be  segregated.  The  Valdor  dredge  is  operating  above  Helena,  and 
the  Gardella  dredge  is  operating  on  the  Paulsen  Ranch,  near  Lewiston. 
The  characteristic  of  the  dredging  gronnd  on  the  Trinity  River  is  that 
about  20  to  -10  per  cent  of  the  values  are  in  heavy  golil  wliich,  when  fine 
screens  are  used  in  the  trommels,  pa.sses  tlirough  them  and  (nit  on  the 
stackers  to  be  lost  witli  the  boulders. 

In  this  country  much  hydraulic  ground  is  available  in  higli  bars, 
l)rovided  water  could  be  brought  to  it.  The  area  of  most  promise  is 
above  and  below  Douglas  City.  At  Steiner  Flat,  at  Douglas  City, 
Dutch  Creek,  Brown's  Creek,  Grass  Valley  Creek,  Redding  and  Indian 
Creeks  are  large  bars  of  gravel  in  the  form  of  high  bars,  as  well  as  some 
low  ground,  which  is  practically  virgin  and  presents  an  excellent  oppor- 
tunity for  possible  hydraulic  ground. 

Weaver  Creek  itself  has  been  well  worked,  but  some  gold  is  still  in 
the  tailings  which  fill  the  bars.  Some  good  high  ground  is  .still  left  at 
the  Union  Hill  ^line.  From  Douglas  City  up  to  Lewiston  are  many 
liigh  bars  on  the  Trinity  that  appear  suitable  for  hydraulicking,  as  well 
as  low  bars  that  may  possibly  be  dredging  ground.  A  large  amount  of 
])Ossible  dredging  ground  is  in  the  vicinity  of  Lewiston.  in  which  profit- 
able areas  can  probably  be  segregated. 

The  La  Grange  Mine  at  the  head  of  Oregon  Guh-h,  which  has  for 
years  been  known  as  the  largest  operating  hydraulic  mine  in  the  world, 
has  been  closed  down  since  the  War.  A  large  quantity  of  low-grade 
gravel  area  is  still  left,  but  the  cost  of  opening  it  up  again  would  be 
considerable  on  account  of  the  necessity  of  a  tunnel  and  deep  cut.  The 
water  right  on  the  La  Grange  ]\Iine  came  from  the  east  fork  of  Stewart 
Fork  for  a  distance  of  about  30  miles,  and  is  one  of  the  finest  hydraulic 
mining  rights  in  the  State  of  California.  If  this  ditcli  could  l)e  tapped 
about  seven  miles  back  and  above  the  La  Grange  ]\Iine,  there  is  an  area 
of  gravel  on  Musser  Hill  that  would  possibly  make  a  larger  and  better 
I^aying  mine  than  La  Grange.  This  gravel  was  deposited  by  the  same 
southward  flowing  Cretaceous  channel  as  La  Grange  and  prospects  on 
the  surface  even  better  than  La  Grange  did.  Dump  for  this  gronnd 
would  have  to  be  purchased  on  Brown's  Creek. 

A  large  amount  of  gravel  is  still  unworked  in  the  basins  of  east  and 
west  Weaverville  Creeks,  some  of  which  appears  to  be  very  attractive. 
The  old-time  miners,  working  on  the  shallowest  banks,  covered  much 
good  ground  with  their  tailings,  but  there  are  several  hundred  acres, 
both  of  flat  and  bench  ground,  which  are  still  virgin.  The  gravel  is  not 
coarse,  and  in  many  cases  is  subangular.  Most  of  this  gravel  is  derived 
from  the  erosion  and  concentration  of  the  old  Cretaceous  channel  which 
runs  through  from  Brown's  Hill  and  Musser  Hill  to  La  (rrange.  Above 
Dutton  Creek  is  some  ground  from  this  channel. 

Under  the  town  of  Weaverville  is  a  large  amount  of  good  gravel 
which  lias  not  been  drifted  out.  The  whole  basin  is  largely  controlled 
by  the  Union  Hill  water  right,  but  the  upper  half  of  it  is  undoubtedly 
hydraulic    mining    ground    witli    excellent    possi])ilities.      The    Lorenz 


GOLD    PLACERS    OP    CAfJI-'OKXlA.  05 

]>rotlu'i's  nvc  now  working  a  large  and  siicccssrul  liydi-aulic  mine  on  tin; 
lower  end  of  this  basin  and  stacking  llieii-  lailings.  The  l)<)ulders  are 
not  very  large,  and  tlie  grad(>  of  the  channel  is  light. 

Returning  to  the  main  Trinity  River,  from  Lewiston  to  Carrville,  are 
flats  which  contain  a  considerable  acreage  of  proliable  dredging  ground 
whieli  may  be  segregated.  Tt  is  to  be  hoped,  however,  that  this  ground 
will  be  worked  with  tiume  dredges  instead  of  tho.se  of  the  stacker  type, 
not  only  for  the  reason  that  the  ground  can  be  more  readily  resoiled, 
but  because,  unless  large  screens  are  used  on  the  stacker  dredges,  nearly 
one-half  of  the  gold  is  apt  to  be  carried  through  and  redeposited 
with  the  tailing  piles.  In  the  writer's  opinion,  the  Trinity  Gold  Dredg- 
ing Company  has  the  only  dredge  on  the  Trinity  River  that  is  saving 
its  bedrock  gold  by  digging  slowly  and  carefully  and  putting  everything 
through  its  sluices ;  also,  it  is  leaving  the  ground  level  and  in  such  shape 
that  it  can  be  reclaimed  easily  for  farming  by  damming  the  river  and 
overflowing  it. 

Deadwood  Creek  has  been  worked  a  great  many  times  by  small  placer 
miners,  and  has  prov^ed  very  rich,  but  there  appear  to  be  isolated  patches 
of  gravel  remaining  that  might  be  suitable  for  the  small  ground  sluicer 
or  drifter.  The  same  thing  may  be  said  of  Jennings  Gulch  and  East- 
man's Gulch.  On  Eastman's  Gulch  is  a  considerable  body  of  possible 
hydraulic  mining  ground. 

From  Carrville  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Trinity  down  through  Miners- 
ville  and  Buckeye  Ridge,  Brown's  Hill  and  through  Weaver  Basin 
extends  the  southward  flowing  Cretaceous  channel.  This  was  greatly 
eroded  in  the  Weaver  Basin,  and  every  creek  and  gulch  that  cut  this 
channel  was  enriched.  Much  of  the  channel  has  been  worked  near 
Trinity  Center,  but  above  Minersville  on  the  east  fork  of  the  Stewart 
Fork  are  several  miles  of  virgin  ground  which  should  make  possible 
hydraulic  property.  The  Beaudry,  the  Unity  and  other  properties  are 
on  this  channel.  Near  the  junction  of  the  east  fork  and  the  Stewart 
Fork  is  some  possible  dredging  ground.  This  channel  is  the  same  as 
that  which  goes  through  Musser  Hill  and  La  Grange  and  on  to  the 
Ilaj'fork  country.  To  the  north  it  has  been  practically  all  eroded 
above  Trinity  Center.  It  can  be  found  on  both  sides  of  CoflPee  Creek 
and  also  on  Scott  Mountain. 

On  the  east  fork  of  the  Trinity  River  a  large  area  of  possible  dredg- 
ing ground  still  remains.  There  is  a  tributary  high  bar  on  Plummcr 
Hill  and  on  the  side  of  Paul's  Gulch.  There  is  also  a  more  recent 
channel  on  Crow  Creek  running  over  to  Slate  Creek,  and  also  on  the 
head  of  Snow  Gulch  is  considerable  recent  gravel. 

Coffee  Creek  has  been  mined  for  many  .years.  The  upper  portion  of 
it  was  evidently  drained  by  what  is  now  the  south  fork  of  the  Salmon 
River  in  preglacial  times.  A  few  small  placer  mines  are  still  on  Coffee 
Creek,  which  may  have  some  value.  Tlie  Nash  ^Mine,  later  known  as 
the  Big  Flat,  is  one  of  these.  It  has  had  a  fair  production  record  and 
undoubtedly  has  some  good  ground  left. 

Dredging  operations  in  Trinity  county  have  been  largely  contined  to 
the  middle  fork  of  the  Trinity  River.  The  largest  dredges  are  oper- 
ating in  the  section  between  Carrville  and  Trinity  Center.  Below  this, 
a  flume  dredge  is  operating  above  Lewiston ;  another  near  the  Rush 
Creek  confluence;  and  another  above  Helena. 


m 


CAT.IFORNIA    STATE    MINING    BUREAU. 


SALMON    RIVER. 

Tile  southwestern  portion  of  Siskiyou  County  eonipi-ises  the  draiuage 
area  of  the  Salmon  River  and  its  tributaries.  The  topography  is 
very  steep  and  water  installations  quite  expensive.  This  district  is 
connected  by  a  wagon  road  forty-three  miles  in  length  between  Etna 
and  Scott  Valley  and  Forks  of  the  Sahnon,  located  at  the  junction  of 
the  north  and  south  forks  of  the  Salmon  River.  As  most  of  the  level 
ground  in  the  district  consists  of  the  low  lying  bars  on  the  Salmon  River 
and  its  branches,  this  section  is  practically  dei)endent  for  food  and  sup- 
l)lies  upon  communication  with  the  outside  which  is  only  open  for  wagon 
or  truck  traffic  for  about  five  months  out  of  the  year. 

In  the  early  days  the  Salmon  River  was  famous  for  its  front  rim  dig- 
gings in  low  bars  close  to  the  present  river.  These  diggings  were  very 
rich.  In  the  main,  since  the  days  between  1850  and  1870,  the  larger 
hydraulic  operations  have  been  unsuccessful.     At  present  very  little 


Photo' No.  19.     Scott  Mountain  Region,   Siskiyou  County,  California. 

mining  is  being  done  on  the  river,  as  the  best  of  the  available  ground 
lias  been  worked  out.  The  Salmon  River  suffers  from  many  drawbacks. 
In  most  cases  wrter  installation  is  very  difficult  and  expensive.  The  top 
is  heavy  or  else  the  dump  is  very  poor,  and  many  heavy  boulders  hamper 
the  work.  The  pay  is  generally  confined  to  a  narrow  area  and  the 
greater  portion  even  of  some  of  the  best  bars  is  too  low  grade  to  be 
j^rofitable.  Commencing  at  the  upper  end  of  the  north  fork,  the  best 
placer  remaining  lies  in  White's  Gulch  at  the  Craig  Mine,  and  in  Eddy's 
Gulch  at  the  Peterson  Mine,  both  of  these  gulches  being  tributaries  of 
the  north  fork  above  Sawyer's  Bar.  Due  to  the  erosion  of  the  old 
Klamath  ledge  and  other  blanket  ledges,  Eddy's  Gulch  and  Sawyer's 
Bar,  just  below  it,  we're  greatly  enriched.  With  the  excejitions  named 
above,  most  of  this  country  is  now  worked  out.  Above  Eddy's  Gulch 
on  the  main  river  there  is  considerable  gravel  in  high  bars,  but  as  a  rule 
it  has  not  paid  to  work.  From  Sawyer's  Bar  on  down  are  still  hundreds 
of  acres  of  unworked  high  l)ars  with  very  heavy  top,  heavy  boulders  and 


GOLD   PLACERS   OF    CALIFORNIA. 


97 


good  dump.  One  or  Iwo  siiuill  mini's  arc  woi'kiiij::  in  dcsultoi'V  fasliioii, 
hut  without  enough  water  to  accomplish  much.  Hch)\v  IJonaly  Bar. 
whicli  is  ahout  three  iinh>s  ahove  Forks  of  Sahnou.  is  souu'  good  ground 
and  much  gravel  is  hd't,  sonu'  of  which  is  said  to  l)e  pay  gravel.  At  the 
Forks  itself  a  fair  sized  Hat  is  still  left  which  contains  some  good  ground, 
hut  this  has  heen  largely  drifted.  The  only  water  that  is  available  for 
mining  this  ground  is  that  formerly  used  by  the  Forks  of  Salmon  Min- 
ing Company.  This  flume  could  be  repaired  and  extended  so  as  to 
cover  the  ground  at  Forks  of  Salinon. 

Up  the  south  fork  of  the  Salmon  considerable  work  has  been  done 
as  far  up  as  Oreutt's  Kaneh,  and  sonu*  small  liars  are  still  left  which 
probably  would  not  pay  to  work.  The  principal  gravel  areas  of  the 
south  fork  are  at  Cecilville  and  Summerville  and  extend  clear  up  to  the 
('oifee  Creek  Divide.  There  is  a  tremetulous  amount  of  gravel  here, 
hut  the  pay  is  very  irregular  and  spotty  and,  as  a  rule,  mining  opera- 


"?  1  "™'WBi,  -.^^HB^^^^^^^^^^^^H 

^^.31 

'^.  w>'-«^^''*s#ir^^ 

Photo  No.  20.     Scott  Mountain  Region,   Siskiyou  County,  CaUfornia. 

tions  on  a  large  scale  have  never  paid  and  pi-obably  never  will.  Two 
small  mines  are  still  working  near  Cecilville. 

From  Forks  of  Salmon  down  to  Somes  l^ar  is  much  gravel,  l)ut  very 
little  of  it  has  paid  to  operate.  Codfish  Hill,  the  Bloomer  Mine  and  the 
Nordheimer  Flat  have  been  the  best  mines  on  the  river,  but  in  all  of 
these  the  greater  proportion  of  the  pay  gravel  has  been  worked  out. 
Only  two  mines  are  working  at  present  in  this  section  of  the  river.  The 
Bloomer  Mine  is  entirely  different  from  any  other  channel  on  the  river, 
and  in  the  nature  of  its  wash  and  the  type  of  its  gold  this  more  closely 
resembles  the  northwai-d  flowing  Cretaceous  stream  than  any  other.  If 
it  is  a  portion  of  this  stream,  it  has  probably  l)een  almost  entirely  eroded 
for  many  ndles.  It  might  possibly  have  flowed  northward  toward 
Portuguese  Creek  between  Happy  Camp  and  Hamburg  Bar. 

A  few  opportunities  for  the  small  miner  without  an  expensive  installa- 
tion still  remain  at  and  near  Portuguese  Bar  and  on  the  north  fork 
below  Sawyer's  Bar,  as  well  as  above  Cecilville  on  the  south  fork.  A 
little  good  ground  is  also  left  on  Nordheimer  Creek. 


08  CALIFORNIA    STATE    MINING   BUREAU. 


SCOTT    AND    SHASTA    RIVERS. 

The  last  three  miles  of  the  Scott  River,  before  its  junction  with  the' 
Klamath,  are  the  richest  portion.  Practically  all  of  this  distance  has 
l)een  wingdammed  wherever  possible.  Some  low  bars  are  still  left,  but 
outside  of  the  flat  on  which  the  town  of  Scotts  Bar  stands,  they  have 
been  drifted  out.  A  deep  channel  is  still  left  in  this  vicinity  which 
might  pay  if  the  water  is  not  too  hard  to  handle.  A  great  proportion 
of  the  enrichment  in  this  part  of  the  channel  comes  from  the  ero.sion  of 
Quartz  Hill.  This  hill  has  been  hydraulicked  for  many  years,  and  is 
still  being  operated  at  a  slight  protit.  About  a  half  mile  above  the 
junction  of  the  Scott  and  Klamath  rivers  is  a  high  bar  at  the  Rox- 
bury  Mine,  which  is  probably  one  of  the  most  interesting  hydraulic 
propositions  in  California  today.  There  are  in  the  neighborhood  of  five 
to  ten  million  yards  of  gravel,  which  will  probably  run  from  ten  to 
fifteen  cents  a  yard.  The  present  water  right  is  not  sufficient  for  the 
profitable  working  of  the  property.  It  will  be  necessary  to  bring  water 
from  Thompson  Creek,  and  about  twelve  miles  of  the  necessary  ditch  is 
still  uncompleted.  Considerable  money  was  spent  here  in  1917  by  the' 
present  owners  but  not  to  good  advantage.  The  grade  used  on  the  sluice 
boxes  is  entirely  too  high  for  the  saving  of  any  fine  gold  with  the  amount 
of  water  that  is  used. 

Continuing  easterly,  the  principal  gold-bearing  tributaries  of  the 
Scott  and  Shasta  rivers  were  Greenhorn.  McAdams  and  Cherry  creeks. 
A  deep  channel  with  cemented  gravel,  which  is  probably  a  portion  of 
the  delta  gravels  of  the  Cretaceous  island  before  mentioned,  underlies 
Greenhorn  Creek.  There  is  a  tremendous  amount  of  water  in  this,  and 
it  is  now  used  as  an  auxiliary  water  supply  for  Yreka.  A  large  propor- 
tion of  the  gold-bearing  gravels  of  Greenhorn  Creek  has  been  partly 
dredged.  McAdams  Creek  has  been  dredged  for  the  greater  part  of 
its  length,  but  on  the  lower  two  or  three  miles  there  is  still  some  virgin 
ground  which  might  possibly  be  capable  of  yielding  a  profit.  Some 
hydraulicking  has  been  done  on  Greenhorn  and  Cherry  creeks,  and  some 
good  ground  still  remains. 

Quartz  Valley,  which  is  tributary  to  the  Scott  River,  has  the  appear- 
ance of  a  possible  dredging  proposition,  which  has  been  fed  from  the 
gulches  on  either  side  of  Evans  Creek.  Considerable  good  ground  still 
remains  in  these  gulches  for  the  small  operator,  notably  on  the  east  side. 

A  large  channel,  which  is  possibly  the  old  Tertiary  equivalent  to  Scott 
River,  which  contains  subangular  and  slightly  cemented  wash,  comes 
down  from  near  Callahans  through  Etna  and  across  the  upper  end  of 
Quartz  Valley,  and  into  the  present  bed  of  the  Scott  River  where  it 
turns  westerly  toward  Scotts  Bar.  Spills  from  this  channel  enriched 
the  old  Etna  Creek  diggings  and  faulted  portions  of  it  were  worked  at 
the  Old  Piney  and  the  New  Piney  diggings  on  both  sides  of  the  ridge 
west  and  south  of  Evans  Creek.  This  channel  has  the  possibility  of 
being  one  of  the  largest  hydraulic  propositions  yet  remaining  in  the 
northern  end  of  the  state,  but  considerable  ground  would  have  to  be 
bought  for  dump  purposes  and  water  would  have  to  come  from  the 
Scott  River. 

Oro  Fino  Valley-  appears  to  have  some  possible  dredging  ground.  For 
a  great  distance  on  both  sides  of  the  valley  the  slopes  of  the  ridges  have 
been  worked  since  the  early  days.     Fed  from  a  rich  pocket  country  a 


GOLD   PLACERS    OK    CALIFOHXIA.  99 

great  mass  of  sulusijoular  erosioiial  detritus  still  occupies  the  center  of 
this  valley,  and  evidently  contains  some  gold.  Considerable  areas  of 
ground,  possibly  suitable  for  hydraulicking.  still  remain  on  the  ridges. 
In  all  cases  where  this  has  been  mined,  the  bedrock  has  evidently  been 
very  carefully  stripped  and  cleaned.  Presumably  most  of  the  pay  lies 
close  to  the  bottom. 

Below  the  junction  of  the  south  and  east  forks  of  Scott  River,  north 
of  Callahan,  is  still  some  excellent  dredging  ground  in  spite  of  the  fact 
that  one  disastrous  and  abortive  attempt  was  made  to  handle  it  several 
years  ago.  Above  this  junction  of  both  the  south  and  the  east  forks 
there  is  also  some  promising  ground.  In  this  region  one  of  the  best 
areas  of  hydraulic  ground  also  remains,  Avhich  is  suitable  for  the  small 
operator  with  little  capital.  Unfortunately  a  large  proportion  of  this 
ground  is  tied  up  in  the  Beaudry  Estate,  lying  on  Wildcat  Creek  and 
also  on  the  south  fork.  However,  on  Fox,  Slide,  Grouse  and  Kangaroo 
creeks  a  small  (|uantity  of  spotty  pay  gravel  still  remains  in  small  segre- 
gated areas,  which  might  be  interesting  to  the  pick  and  shovel  miner. 
East  of  Kangaroo  Creek  very  little  pay  is  encountered.  North  of  the 
junction  of  the  Shasta  River  with  the  Klamath,  Cottonwood  Creek 
forms  a  dividing  line  in  northern  Siskiyou  County  between  the  aurif- 
erous and  barren  gravels  which  lie  respectively  on  the  west  and  east 
sides  of  it.  South  of  Hornbrook  the  old  blue  shore  gravels  of  the 
Cretaceous  island  are  being  worked  by  drifting  at  the  Bradley  INIine. 
This  shore  gravel  extends  south  under  Yreka  and  the  Shasta  Valley, 
and  has  l)een  worked  at  the  Blue  Cravel  Mine  west  of  Greenhorn 
Creek.  Greenhorn  Creek  itself  has  been  worked  by  dredging  with  fair 
success  and  on  the  upper  end  there  is  still  a  considerable  area  of  good 
gravel.  The  bars  of  Humbug  Creek  and  the  bars  of  the  Klamath  have 
been  worked  clear  through  as  far  as  Hornbrook.  Not  very  much 
remains  on  Humlnig  Creek  but  a  few  small  deposits  near  the  head. 
This  creek  is  tributary  to  tlie  Klamath.  Most  of  the  gravel  is 
snbangular. 

"Wherever  any  gulches  have  cut  and  concentrated  the  old  shore 
gravels  the  work  has  been  profitable  on  both  sides  of  the  Klamath. 

At  HaAvkinsville  a  large  area  of  shallow  gravel  has  been  worked  off 
by  hand.  The  gravel  is  from  one  to  ten  feet  deep  and  a  great  deal  of 
it  still  remains,  but  water  is  not  available  for  hydraulicking.  It  is 
possible  that  by  using  an  excavator  of  the  Hadsell  type,  some  of  this 
ground  could  be  handled  with  a  small  amount  of  water. 

On  Yreka  Creek,  south  of  Ilawkinsville,  some  ground  still  remains 
which  appears  to  have  possibilities  of  dredging.  This  lies  north  of  the 
old  dredge  workings  on  this  creek.  The  town  of  Yreka  appears  to  be 
located  on  possible  dredging  ground,  but  in  order  to  handle  any  of  the 
area  in  this  vicinity,  a  resoiling  dredge  would  probably  be  required,  as 
the  present  holders  of  the  land  in  this  locality  do  not  wish  to  see  it 
mined  in  the  same  way  that  it  has  been  near  Oroville. 

Further  down  the  Shasta  Valley  and  north  of  Scarface  Gulch,  and 
running  down  the  ridge  to  Granada,  is  an  old  channel  with  some  well- 
rounded  wasli.  This  contains  gold  and  platinum  and  where  it  has  not 
been  eroded  might  possibly  be  hydraulicked.  AVater  would,  however, 
have  to  be  brought  from  the  Trinity  Slope  to  cover  it. 


100  CALIFORNIA   STATE    MINING   BUREAU. 

SACRAMENTO  AND  PIT  RIVERS. 

The  Sacvainonto  River  rises  in  the  mountains  al)Ove  the  northern 
boundary  of  Sliasta  County,  together  with  the  ^IcCloucl,  its  principal 
trilnitary.  The  Pit  River  has  its  source  in  ^Modoc  County.  The  Saera- 
iiiento  flows  southM'ard  through  the  western  half  of  Shasta  County  in 
a  deep  canyon.  The  Pit  crosses  tlie  axis  of  the  Sierra  Range  and  joins 
the  Sacramento  in  the  midst  of  the  copper  belt  of  Shasta  County.  The 
MeCloud  discharges  into  tlie  Pit  above  its  eonfluenee  with  the 
Sacramento. 

South  of  Dunsmuir  and  extending  to  Redding  there  is  a  tremendous 
amount  of  gravel  on  the  Sacramento  River,  hoth  creek  gravel  and 
ancient  shore  wash.  It  contains  little  value  and  is  not  of  great  economic 
importance.  Immediately  above  Redding  these  gravels  are  being 
dredged  with  indifferent  success.  The  ]\IcCloud  and  Pit  river  gravels 
are  of  no  economic  importance,  although  of  considerable  extent.  The 
lava-capped  channel  is  exposed  on  the  Pit  River  near  Fall  River  Mills, 
but  to  date  it  has  never  been  worked. 

At  Portuguese  Flat  and  near  La  Moine  the  low  bars  of  the  Sacra- 
mento were  once  worked,  but  with  the  exception  of  the  front  rims  did 
not  pay  very  well.  In  general,  these  gravels  may  be  dismissed  as  of  no 
economic  importance. 

In  the  eastern  portion  of  Shasta  County  the  drainage  of  Deer,  i\Iill 
and  Battle  creeks  is  practically  covered  by  lava  for  hundreds  of  feet 
in  thickness.  For  this  reason  the  gravels  are  nearly  all  volcanic  pebbles. 
They  are  purely  Quaternary  channels,  and  no  gold  has  ever  been  found 
in  commercial  quantities  in  this  region.  The  same  condition  prevails 
down  Payne's  Creek  to  Red  Bluff. 

Going  north  to  Redding  and  out  on  the  Alturas  road  we  come  to 
^Montgomery  Creek  Ranch.  A  little  successful  placer  work  was  done 
on  oNIontgomery  Creek  near  here,  but  as  a  rule  the  gravels  are  prac- 
tically barren.  At  Hayden  Hill,  near  the  northern  part  of  Lassen 
County,  is  a  channel  of  intervolcanic  gravel  some  two  miles  in  length 
whicli  has  never  been  productive.  Beyond  Alturas.  on  the  east  side  of 
the  Warner  Range,  is  a  channel  near  Cedarville  which  has  been  pros- 
pected slightly  but  without  satisfactory  results.  This,  also,  is  volcanic 
wash.  It  is  reported  that  a  deep  blue  channel  under  the  shoulder  of 
Eagle  Peak  in  this  range  contains  some  auriferous  gravel.  Coming 
down  from  Alturas  by  way  of  the  JNIadeline  Plains  no  gravel  is  noted, 
the  whole  country  being  covered  by  lava  and  scoria.  Until  Long  Valley 
is  reached  no  extensive  gravel  deposits  are  noted ;  and  these  are 
Quaternary  and  of  no  commercial  value. 

The  western  portion  of  Shasta  County  is  about  the  only  auriferous 
drainage  of  this  part  of  the  Sacramento  River  Just  below  French 
Gulch,  and  including  the  town  of  French  Gulch,  considerable  ground 
on  Clear  Creek  might  be  worked  by  hydraulic  means  It  is  not  heavy 
ground,  but  lies  rather  low  Four  miles  above  on  Drunken  Gulch  and 
Shirttail  Gulch  is  a  mile  and  a  half  of  channel  which  might  have 
hydraulic  mining  possibilities.  On  Clear  Creek,  successful  dredging 
has  been  prosecuted ;  also  on  Cottonwood  Creek.  Some  dredging  has 
becii  done  near  Redding. 


GOLD    PLACERS    OF    CALIFORXLV..  101 

The  drainage  on  tlie  south  shore  of  the  Cretaceous  island  was  not 
altogether  contined  to  La  (Irange  eliannel,  which  probahly  entered  the 
shore  line  ])eh)\v  Hayfork.  Tliis  sliore  line  can  l)e  traced  from  Kedding 
southerly  and  westerly  below  Centerville  to  Igo  and  Ono  around  Nigger 
Hill  and  westerly.  Clear  Creek,  entering  the  ancient  sea  near  Igo, 
deposited  much  rich  gravel  in  a  sort  of  delta.  The  old  Piety  Hill  ]\Iine 
still  contains  some  good  hydraulic  ground.  The  rrardella  dredges  are 
operating  on  Clear  Creek  gravel  at  a  good  profit.  There  are  three  dis- 
tinct channels  at  Igo,  in  all  of  which  it  should  be  possible  to  segregate 
some  areas  of  dredgeable  ground,  proliably  about  six  hundred  acres  in 
extent.  In  addition  to  this,  between  these  cliannels,  are  about  2500 
acres  which  may  be  good  hydraulic  ground. 

Oregon  Gulch  produced, a  concentration  of  shore  gravels  near  Center- 
ville. This  was  very  rich  with  much  shallow  rocker  ground.  The 
channel  heading  up  on  Arbuckle  Gulch  produced  the  same  condition 
at  Nigger  Hill  and  at  Ono.  Near  the  shore  line  much  of  this  ground 
is  cemented. 

Cottonwood  Creek  in  Shasta  County,  particularly  the  north  fork, 
was  worked  on  its  front  rims  for  the  enrichment  produced  from  these 
ancient  shore  gravels.  The  dredger  that  is  at  present  operating  near 
Gas  Point  is  making  a  fair  platinum  recovery,  which  is  probably  caused 
by  the  erosion  of  the  Beegum  channel  on  the  Bald  Hills  into  Cotton- 
wood Creek.  This  channel  was  eroded  by  the  middle  fork  of 
Cottonwood  Creek. 

From  the  western  slope  of  the  Yolo  Bolo  ^Mountains  down  Beegum 
Creek,  and  extending  along  the  Bald  Hills  toward  Gas  Point,  this 
channel  can  be  traced.  It  carries  some  gold  but  more  platinum  and 
iridium.  This  channel  has  enriched  the.  present  Beegum  Creek 
wherever  it  has  crossed  it. 

At  Harrison  Gulcli  some  local  enrichment  has  caused  tlie  formation 
of  good,  small  placer  diggings  l)elo\v  the  town.  Theiv  is  no  ancient 
channel  in  this  vicinity,  however. 

Sfx'tion  2. 

FEATHER    RIVER    REGION. 

For  the  i)urpose  of  this  report  and  as  a  matter  of  convenience,  the 
gravels  in  the  drainage  of  Butte  Creek  and  of  Dry  Creek  will  be 
included  with  those  of  the  Feather  River  .region.  The  drainage  of  all 
three  of  these  streams  in  their  lower  courses  is  through  bench  gravels 
and  undifferentiated  Quaternary  deposits,  and  through  the  sands, 
tufiPs  and  clays  of  the  lone  f(n'mation  higher  up.  However,  the  under- 
lying amphibolites  come  to  the  surface  and  it  is  in  this,  as  well  as 
in  the  Paleozoic  metamorphics  that  tlie  greater  portion  of  the  stream 
enrichment  has  occurred.  The  area  west  of  Big  Butte  Ci'eek  is  largely 
covered  with  volcanics  of  Tertiary  age,  and  it  is  not  until  the  shore 
gravels  around  Centerville  are  reached  that  we  find  any  notable  con- 
centration of  gold.  Big  Butte  Creek  and  Little  Butte  Creek  have  lioth 
been  worked  since  the  early  days  of  California,  and  several  millions 
have  been  taken  out  from  them.  These  creeks  have  concentrated  the 
gold  from  two  well-defined  channels  which  entered  the  shore  of  the  old 


102 


CALIFORNIA    STATE    MINING   BUREAU. 


Cretaceous  sea  near  Centerville.  The  lower  portion  of  the  channels, 
due  to  the  delta  condition,  is  very  spotty,  and  the  pay  is  not  concen- 
trated. Going  np  from  Centerville  on  the  east  side  of  Big  Butte  Creek 
the  channel  down  the  Nimshew  Ridge  is  of  considerable  importance 
from  the  standpoint  of  possible  drifting  ground.  This  channel  extends 
from  Nimshew  through  Hupps  Mill,  Powelton,  Inskip  and  Chaparral, 
one  branch  of  it  heading  up  near  Mountain  Meadows.  This  branch  has 
been  worked  at  the  head  of  Chips  Creek  and  Yellow  Creek,  and  can  be 
traced  over  across  the  head  of  Chips  Creek  through  Lotts  Mine.    Por- 


Photo  No.  21.    Hupp  Mine  on  Nimshew  Ridge. 

tions  of  this  mine  were  rich  and  there  is  still  some  good  gravel  in  it. 
Coming  down  above  the  Philbrook  Valley,  this  channel  Avas  worked  at 
the  Carr  and  Princess  mines.  Below  Powelton  it  crosses  a  wide 
porphyry  dyke  Avhich  is  evidently  mineralized  and  contains  stringers 
and  benches  of  pocket  gold.  Undoubtedly  this  is  the  source  of  the 
principal  enrichment  of  this  cliannel.  Considerable  dredging  has  been 
done  and  there  is  still  some  operating  on  the  lower  reaches  of  Butte 
Creek,  whose  gold  is  mostly  derived  from  this.  The  age  of  the  main 
channel  is  probalily  Cretaceous,  and  all  the  way  down  from  Powelton 
through  the  Nimshew  Ridge  a  large  portion  of  it  is  still  intact.    A  later 


GOLD  PLACERS  OF  CALIFORNLV.  103 

channel  of  Tertiary  age  crossed  and  recrossed  it  many  times  and  this 
channel,  whicli  reconcentrated  the  gold  from  the  older  one,  was  in  its 
turn  cut  down  l)y  Big  Butte  Creek,  and  was  the  source  of  most  of  the 
enrichment  of  that  stream.  Upon  this  cliannel  three  or  four  successful 
drift  mines  have  heen  operated,  but  as  they  generally  follow  the  smaller 
channel  in  from  the  exposures  on  the  west  side  of  Nimshew  Ridge  and 
stay  close  to  the  west  rim  until  they  come  out  again,  the  fact  that  the 
larger  and  older  channel  existed  was  only  made  evident  at  the  Emma 
]\Iine.  There  is  undoubtedly  a  chance  for  a  large  drift  mine  here,  which 
is  well  worth  investigating. 

Another  branch  of  this  same  channel  is  known  as  the  Magalia 
Channel.  The  junction  of  the  two  was  probably  in  the  neighborhood 
of  Centerville.  This  channel  runs  through  ^Mineral  Slide  and  a  trifle 
west  of  Magalia,  up  through  Lovelock  and  Sterling,  northeasterly 
through  Kimshew  Creek  and  Snow's  Mine  to  what  is  called  Table 
^Mountain.  There  are  apparently  two  branches  of  its  drainage  in  tlie 
neigliborhood  of  Kimshew  Creek,  one  coming  through  the  Crane 
Valley.  The  tributary  to  this  channel  above  Magalia.  known  as  thi; 
Perschbacker  Channel,  was  exceedingly  rich  and  about  two  million 
dollars  was  taken  from  it.  Undoubtedly  this  channel  receives  its 
enrichment  from  the  dyke  mentioned  before  in  connection  with  the 
Ximshew  branch.  This  dyke  runs  a  trifle  east  of  southerly  and  may  be 
traced  through  the  country  for  many  miles.  The  ^Magalia  branch  has 
not  been  worked  out,  largely  on  account  of  difficulty  of  operating  con- 
ditions. There  is  a  great  deal  of  water,  and  the  ground  is  hard  to 
liold.  A  very  expensive  tunnel  will  be  necessary  in  order  to  jirospect 
this  channel  and  secure  drainage.  On  the  other  hand,  the  Ximshew 
is  accassible  by  means  of  short  tunnels,  exposures  of  well-washed 
gravel  are  seen  along  the  road  from  Nimshew  to  Centerville  and  break- 
outs from  this  channel  have  been  worked  at  the  Oro  Fino,  Indian 
Springs.  Robbers  Roost  and  Kohl  properties,  with  a  reported  pro- 
duction of  over  a  million  and  a  half.  On  Big  Butte  Creek  is  a  lari^v 
amount  of  shore  gravel  which  might  possibly  pay  to  liydraulic  if  the 
debris  (piestion  could  be  taken  care  of.  On  the  upper  portion  of  the 
Nimshew  branch,  near  the  summit  of  the  West  Branch  Divide,  in  Phil- 
brook  Valley,  and  on  the  Gravel  Range  are  the  headwaters  of  this 
channel.  Tributaries  of  subangular  gravel  come  in  from  Carr's 
diggings  and  the  Westcott  Mine. 

The  ^Magalia  cliannel  can  be  traced  northerly  by  its  rims  from  west 
of  jNIagalia  througli  Appleton's  and  past  Doon's  ]\IilI.  directly  uudei- 
Sterling.  North  of  here,  on  the  southwest  side  of  the  west  branch  is 
an  excellent  exposure  of  the  rims  and  gravel,  showing  the  ancient  wash, 
mixed  with  subangular  gravel  of  later  age  which  is  slightly  cemented. 
This  channel  continues  northeast  to  Table  Mountain. 

At  the  head  of  the  Dry  Creek  drainage  near  Cherokee  is  one  of  the 
most  baffling  channels  with  regard  to  origin  in  tiie  State  of  California. 
It  is  possible  tliat  it  originally  came  from  the  "\V;dker  Plains  over  above 
Las  Plumas  to  Cherokee  and  south  under  Table  ^Mountain.  The  rolling 
hills  between  Oroville  and  Pt'ut/,  Kanch  are  covered  with  shore  gravels 
and  delta  gravels  from  the  Cretaceous  rivers  which  deboudu'd  along 
the  shores  of  the  ocean.  Originally  a  reg^ion  of  low  relief,  the  uplift 
of  Jurassic  times  caused  very  i-apid  erosion.     The  Cherokee  channel, 


104  CALIFORNIA   STATE    MINING   BUREAU. 

with  a  short  tributary  above  Pentz  Ranch,  is  all  that  is  left  in  channel 
form  of  this  stream,  with  the  exception  of  all  that  buried  under  the 
Table  Mountain  basalt  flow  and  a  small  section  above  Las  Plumas. 
Nevertheless,  Oregon  Oulch,  Cherokee  Gulch,  Morris  Ravine,  and 
luimerous  otlier  gulches  have  been  enriched  from  the  erosion  of  this 
channel.  The  pay  channel  is  over  a  thousand  feet  in  width  and  has 
been  hydraulicked  at  the  Spring  Valley  Mine  for  a  mile  and  a  half  in 
length.  Coarse  gold  was  obtained  and  also  some  diamonds,  which  are 
peculiar  to  this  channel  alone.  A  mile  and  a  half  of  possible  drift 
ground  still  remains  near  Cherokee  aiul  probably  at  least  as  much 
under  Tal)k^  Mountain.  A  narrow  pay  streak  in  this  channel  prospects 
very  well,  and  a  leaner  streak  about  twenty  feet  above  will  run  about 
$2  to  the  yard.  Whether  drifting  can  ever  be  made  to  pay  on  this 
channel  is  extremely  doubtful,  due  to  the  cost  of  handling  water  and 
to  the  fact  that  the  pay  streaks  are  widely  distributed.  This  channel 
is  one  of  the  oldest  in  the  state  and  in  its  lower  portion  may  possibly 
be  of  preCretaceous  age.  It  extends  clear  through  the  South  Table 
Mountain  almost  down  to  Oroville. 

Dredging  ground  around  Oroville  comprises  several  thousand  acres 
of  the  present  flood  plains  of  Feather  River.  The  width  varies  from 
one  to  two  miles.  The  average  deptli  of  the  gravel  is  from  25  to  40  feet. 
The  gravel  rests  on  a  false  bedrock  of  volcanic  tuff,  and  is  at  the  present 
time  almost  entirely  worked  out.  The  upper  portion  of  the  Feather 
River  drainage  passes  from  the  amphibolites  into  the  Carboniferous 
slates  and  limestones  through  what  is  known  as  the  upper  gold  belt 
of  the  Sierras.  Of  the  Quaternary  gravels  of  the  Feather  River  little 
has  been  said.  They  are,  of  course,  concentrations  of  the  Tertiary  and 
earlier  systems.  In  the  lower  reaches  of  the  present  north,  middle  and 
south  forks  the  Cretaceous  and  Tertiary  channels  were  evidently  almost 
completel}^  broken  down  into  the  present  channels  and  reconcentrated. 
This  accounts  for  the  tremendous  enrichment  at  Bidwell  Bar  and 
smaller  bars,  such  as  Island  Bar,  Rich  Bar  and  Big  Bar.  In  every  case, 
the  breaking  down  of  an  earlier  channel  is  directl.v  responsible  for  this 
enrichment.  Along  the  courses  of  all  three  forks  of  the  present  river 
are  innumerable  benches  from  the  level  of  the  river  up  to  five  and  six 
hundred  feet  above  it,  which  would  pay  to  hydraulic  in  a  small  way, 
provided  water  could  be  obtained  inexpensively.  It  will,  of  course,  be 
impossible  to  enumerate  these  bars  individually  for  lack  of  space.  The 
only  gravels  whose  systems  will  be  traced  are  those  of  the  earlier 
channels. 

The  Oroville  Basin  has  been  so  frequently  studied  and  is  so  well 
worked  out  that  little  time  will  be  taken  in  describing  it.  The  reader 
is  referred  to  the  bibliography  for  the  results  of  many  excellent  detailed 
studies  of  this  region. 

Connnencing  in  the  neighborhood  of  Brush  Creek  on  the  main  Pikes 
Peak  highway,  a  channel,  which  may  or  may  not  be  the  upper  extension 
of  the  Cherokee  Channel,  can  be  traced  through  Junction  House  and 
Merrimac  to  the  Walker  Plains.  There  seems  to  be  no  doubt  that  this 
was  the  master  stream  which  corresponded  to  the  Feather  River  drain- 
age during  Cretaceous  and  Tertiary  times.  The  wash  is  mixed,  being 
largely  volcanic  with  a  considerable  proportion  of  white  qiuirtz,  which 
probably  dates  from  Cretaceous  times.     This  channel  for  the  purpose 


GOLD  PLACERS  OF  CALIFORNIA. 


105 


of  convenience  we  will  call  the  :\rt.  Ararat  (.'liannel.  Rising  somewhere 
above  Spring  (rarden  it  goes  across  Thompson  Creek  near  the  summit 
of  the  Nelson  Point  Road,  and  through  the  Clermont  Hill.  Here  it  was 
possibly  joined  by  a  short  tributary  from  the  east.  At  Clermont  this 
channel  divides,  to  be  reunited  at  Mt.  Ararat.  Two  different  courses 
are  evidently  of  distinctly  different  age.  One  course  crosses  Bear 
Creek  and  comes  np  on  ^Nlt.  Ararat  to  the  east  of  the  older  chajinel, 
which  can  be  traced  throuiih  the  north  side  of  Clerniont  and  out  by 
way  of  Hungarian  Hill,  and  the  head  of  ;McFarlan(rs  Ravine,  where 
it  joins  the  front  channel  and  breaks  out  into  Willow  Creek.  The 
erosion  of  this  channel  has  enriched  WiUow  Creek  from  this  point  down 
to  the  middle  fork  of  the  Feather  River.  A  tributary  comes  in  across 
Hartman's  Bar  where  it  has  been  broken  down  into  tlu'  middle  fork  and 
caused  considerable  enrichment.  An  unsuccessful  attempt  was  recently 
uuide  to  mine  a  hole  in  the  iirKhlic  fork  of  tlic  Feather  River  at  this 


I'hoto  Xo. 


Flume   at   MoriiiKtnn   Miiu    uii   Miilille   Vrnk  ni  Feather   River. 


])oint,  and  a  very  considerable  amount  of  money  was  wasted  witliout 
determining  whether  any  values  existed  as  a  result  of  the  concentration 
of  this  channel.  This  can  be  traced  under  Franklin  ^Mountain  on  tlie 
south  side  of  the  middle  fork.  Its  course  is  uncertain  beyond  Dogwood 
Peak  and  may  i)ossibly  be  trending  towai'd  Little  Grass  Valley.  The 
gi-avel  in  this  channel  is  well  rounded  and  probably  of  Cretaceous  age 
with  Tertiary  wash  on  top.  The  front  channel  has  some  possibilities 
for  hydraulicking,  and  the  back  channel  may  possibly  contain  some 
good  drift  ground.    It  is  practically  virgin. 

From  ]\It.  Ararat  southwesterly  this  same  chaunel  can  be  traced  by 
way  of  the  Gravel  Range  and  the  Walker  Plains  above  ^lerrimac.  Tliat 
this  was  the  master  stream,  draining  the  present  Feather  River  country 
in  Cretaceous  and  Eocene  times,  seems  very  probable.  The  gravels  of 
the  Walker  Plains  aiul  on  the  head  of  ^Farljle  Creek  al)ove  ^Ferriniac 
correspond  in  every  ])articulai"  to  those  of  Clermont  Ilill.  Below 
Buckeye  and  ]\Ierrimac  the  erosion  of  this  channel  has  greatly  enriched 
the  gravels  of  the  tributaries  on  l)oth  sides  of  the  ridL'e  into  the  north 


106 


CALIFORNIA    STATE    MINING   BUREAU. 


and  middle  forks.  Notably  this  is  true  of  the  Mosquito  Creek  and  Sky 
High  Ridges.  Below  Sky  High  on  the  middle  north  fork  there  is  con- 
siderable channel  gravel  and  it  extends  as  far  down  as  Turner's  Mill 
near  Bald  Rock  Can,yon. 

On  top  of  Clermont  Ridge  lieavy  wash  gravel,  which  shows  for  a 
distance  of  about  two  miles,  proves  the  existence  of  the  above  mentioned 
channel,  presumably  the  equivalent  of  the  present  middle  fork  of  the 
Feather  River.  A  great  deal  of  work  was  done  by  an  English  com- 
pany several  years  ago  in  an  effort  to  prospect  this  channel.  Two  long 
tunnels  were  driven,  both  of  which  in  the  writer's  opinion  parallel 
the  channel  instead  of  cross-cutting  it  and  both  were  too  high.  No 
results,  either  positive  or  negative  were  obtained.  The  proper  place  to 
prospect  this  channel  would  have  been  on  the  north  side  in  the  gulches 
just  above  the  turn-oft'  on  the  ]\Ieadow  Valley  trail.  This  is  undoubt- 
edlv  the  same  channel  which  runs  under  Mt.  Ararat  and  can  be  traced 


-Fhoto  N 


it  Morington  Mine  on  Middle  Fork  of  Feather  River. 


for  over  twenty  miles.  At  the  head  of  Gansner  Ravine  a  lower  channel 
goes  through  which  has  been  prospet-ted  slightly  by  the  Laurison 
Tunnel  over  the  ridge  to  the  east.  This  channel  crosses  over  the  head 
of  Mill  Creek,  and  is  said  to  be  traced  clear  over  to  Happy  Valley. 
Nothing  much  is  definitely  known  about  it.  It  is  supposed  to  have  come 
through  Hungarian  Hill,  where  it  was  worked  and  proved  to  be  fairly 
rich.     It  contains  very  heavj^  wash. 

Tributary  to  this  main  channel  are  two  Ijranches  which  come  in  from 
the  southeast  side.  Commencing  up  near  Fowler  Peak,  and  coming 
down  by  way  of  Browns  Hill,  Sardine  Gulch  and  the  ridge  just  south- 
east of  the  present  middle  fork,  crossing  near  Cascade  and  Lava  Top, 
and  going  down  as  far  south  as  Lumpkin,  is  a  very  well-defined  channel 
from  which  the  lava  cap  has  been  largely  eroded.  This  channel  is 
probably  prevolcanic  and  of  at  least  Eocene  age.  There  are  several 
miles  of  i^ossibh^  hydi-jiiilic  ground  upon  it.  and  the  whole  is  covered 
with  excellent  timber.  The  great  difficulty  is  the  fact  that  it  will  be 
extremel}^  hard  to  get  water  on  it  under  sufficient  i)ressure  to  operate. 


GOLD   PLACERS   OF    CALIFORNIA.  107 

Water  would  liavti  to  he  l)r(ni<;lit  from  iivc  to  ten  miles.  Duiiii)  is 
excellent.  About  the  only  work  now  being  done  on  this  channel  is  at 
Spencer  ]\line  above  Cascade.  This  was  formerly  owned  by  ^Iv.  Bean. 
It  consists  of  erosional  material  from  the  original  channel. 

It  is  entirely  distinct  from  the  Franklin  Hill  and  Deadwood  Peak 
channel,  which  crosses  the  present  middle  fork  above  Hartman's  Bar 
and  goes  across  Willow  Creek  to  the  Gravel  Range.  This  same  channel 
has  been  eroded  below  Lumpkin  and  probal)ly  enriched  the  ^looretown, 
Sucker  Creek  and  Enterprise  diggings.  A  portion  of  it  still  remains 
on  top  of  Kanaka  Peak,  which  has  been  recently  drifted. 

At  Cascade  this  channel  did  not  pay,  although  considerable  money 
was  spent  in  developing  it.  Higher  up  at  Browns  Hill  and  Sardine 
Gulch  considerable  money  was  taken  out. 

There  is  not  much  doubt  that  this,  like  the  ^looreville  Ridge  and  the 
Ararat  Channel,  formed  the  ancient  Feather  River  drainage.  There 
is  no  possibility  that  either  of  these  channels  were  drained  by  the 
Cretaceous  Yuba.  Most  of  this  channel  could  be  readily  prospected 
with  a  drill,  as  it  is  on  the  wagon  road  as  far  up  as  Cascade.  A  branch 
of  the  "Western  Pacific  is  now  being  run  to  Lumpkin  for  the  benefit  of 
large  timber  holdings  along  this  channel,  which  is  almost  entirely  in 
private  hands. 

Coming  down  from  Little  Grass  Valley,  a  channel  follows  the  ^loorc- 
ville  Ridge  in  a  southwesterly  direction.  This  is  pro])ably  of  at  least 
Eocene  age.  The  gravel  is  rather  light,  about  fifty  feet  thick,  and  in 
many  places  is  covered  with  pipe  clay  and  a  thin  basalt  cap.  The  Dod- 
son  Mine  is  the  principal  working  on  this  channel  and  paid  very  well 
as  a  hydraulic  mJne,  although  drift  operations  showed  the  bedrock  pay 
to  be  very  spotty.  This  channel  is  from  six  to  eight  miles  in  length, 
and  appears  to  be  good  prospective  hydraulic  ground.  It  enriched  both 
the  south  fork  and  Lost  Creek  on  either  side  of  the  ridge.  After  reach- 
ing the  junction  of  the  south  fork  and  Lost  Creek,  the  crossing  of  this 
channel  is  probably  through  Field's  Ranch  toward  ]\Iooretown.  It  is 
not  absolutely  certain,  however,  that  it  did  not  follow  the  present  south 
fork  channel  and  that  it  might  possibly  have  been  eroded  into  it.  In 
the  ridge  on  the  southwest  side  several  gulches  and  creeks,  draining  into 
the  Feather  River,  have  been  enriched  Avitli  well-worn  gold  of  about 
the  same  appearance  and  grade  as  the  Dodson  gold.  This  is  notably 
the  case  in  Robinson  Gulch,  which  produced  over  two  millions.  If  this 
channel  goes  under  Sunset  Mountain,  it  is  very  deep,  as  the  whole 
country  around  Forbestown  is  slide  country.  Its  presence,  however, 
seems  to  be  indicated  by  numerous  springs  which  maintain  the  same 
level  and  which  flow  the  j'ear  round. 

Above  Strawberry'  Valley  and  southeast  of  Lost  Creek  is  another 
channel  which  was  probably  drained  by  the  ancient  Yuba.  It  extends 
from  the  head  of  Sly  Creek  down  across  Owl  and  Eagle  Gulch  and 
through  Clipper  IMills.  This  channel  has  been  worked  since  the  early 
days  and  was  quite  productive.  Considerable,  drift  ground  remains 
on  it  yet.  It  passes  out  to  the  south  before  reaching  Woodleaf  and 
may  possibly  connect  with  the  fork  of  the  Yuba  which  comes  out  east 
of  Challenge. 

Coming  back  to  the  country  around  iloiintain  Meadows,  Ave  find  a 
very  important  channel   which   has  its  origin   near   Prattvillc.     This 


108  CAlJFORXIA    STATE    MINING    RUREAtT. 

clinniicl  is  divided  into  two  parts.  They  arc  exposed  on  llio  east  side 
of  Barker  J^ivine  at  Cnnmiinjis  Hill  and  in  the  (jreat  Western  Power 
('ompany's  tuiniel  from  l^utt  Valley  to  Almanor.  Starting  near  Lake 
Almanor,  the  crossing  is  by  way  of  J'rattville  and  Cummings  Hill, 
where  the  ehannel  is  bent  by  fanlting.  From  here,  aronnd  the  head  of 
Barker  Ravine,  the  top  gravel  was  hydraulicked  fifty  years  ago  and 
eontinned  around  through  Duteh  IHll.  The  front  ehannel  was  all 
drifted  out  here,  but  the  back  channel  remains.  Making  a  sharp,  right- 
angle  turn,  it  passes  down  under  the  ridge  below  Duteh  Hill  and  out 
through  the  Sunnyside  Mine.  The  gravel  is  two  hundred  feet  deep, 
l)ut  only  the  bottom  portion  is  good  pay.  It  is  lava  capped  all  the  way 
down.  There  is  an  opportunity  for  a  large  drift  mine  here,  working 
either  through  the  Kelley  or  the  Cameron  ground  deep  enough  to  bot- 
tom the  whole  channel.  At  the  Sunnyside  the  pay  is  quite  consistent 
and  from  60  to  220  feet  wide.  Another  channel  crosses  high  up  on  the 
head  of  Chips  Creek  and  Yellow  Creek.  This  is  also  prevolcanic  and 
goes  dowai  from  Humbug  Valley. 

In  this  same  region  the  Glazier  Channel  comes  down  from  the  present 
Lake  Almanor,  on  the  east  side  of  the  north  fork  of  the  Feather  River, 
crosses  about  two  miles  below  tlie  lake,  and  comes  down  the  west  side 
l^elow^  Seneca,  where  it  is  probably  eroded  by  the  present  north  fork. 
Lower  down  under  Red  ^Mountain  it  appears  again  on  the  east  side  of 
the  river.  Tliis  channel  is  comparatively  recent  and  starts  only  sixty 
feet  above  the  present  north  fork.  Lower  down  near  Seneca  it  is  two 
hundred  feet  higher  than  the  present  river.  In  many  places,  as  at  the 
Scott  ]\Iine,  a  great  deal  of  very  good  hydraulic  ground  is  still  left, 
although  as  a  drift  channel,  it  has  never  paid  well. 

Most  of  the  gravel  left  around  Belden,  aside  from  the  main  Feather 
River,  is  confined  to  Chips  Creek,  ]\Iosquito  Creek  and  Mill  Creek.  At 
the  head  of  Chips  Creek  is  apparently  an  old  channel  ^^ith  very  heavy 
wash.  Lower  down  the  creek  the  channel  of  the  present  stream  was 
extensively  worked  in  the  early  days.  The  same  ancient  channel  prob- 
ably crosses  the  head  of  Yellow  Creek.  I\Iosquito  Creek,  while  very 
short,  has  probably  more  virgin  ground  suitable  for  drifting  by  the 
small  miner  than  any  area  in  this  country.  The  type  of  gold  now  being 
produced  is  very  heavy  and  the  wash  seems  to  be  much  lighter  than 
that  of  Chips  Creek. 

On  ]Mill  Creek  are  still  several  large  areas  of  gravel  which  are 
unprospected,  extending  down  from  near  Mountain  House  to  the  mouth 
of  the  creek.  This  creek  was  undoubtedly  fed  from  a  channel  which 
can  be  noted  on  the  Spanish  Creek  side  which  passes  through  Bean  Hill 
and  Kanaka  Flat.  Some  of  this  ground  is  said  to  pay  very  well 
even  yet. 

On  the  main  north  fork  of  the  Feather  and  on  Indian  Creek,  which 
is  locally  called  the  east  branch,  are  many  small  areas  of  gravel  from 
one  hundred  to  five  hundred  feet  above  the  river,  which  would  still  pay 
to  hydraulic,  but  are  not  individually  of  any  great  extent.  In  Round 
Valley,  above  Greenville,  there  is  a  local  concentration  of  subangular 
gravel  Avhieh  is  said  to  be  rich. 

About  twelve  miles  southeast  of  Quiuey.  Nelson  Creek  empties  into 
the  middle  fork.  The  bars  on  either  side  of  the  creek  have  been  worked 
for  many  years,  as  well  as  the  bed  of  the  creek.     The  middle  fork  at 


GOr.D   PFjACERS   of    CALIFORNIA. 


109 


this  point  was  exeeptionally  rich  in  the  early  days  and  was  worktul  1o 
a  great  extent,  ineluding  the  higher  I)avs  on  either  side.  Apparently 
there  are  nnnierous  small  areas  of  gravel  still  left  on  Nelson  Creek  at 
points  fifty  to  one  hnndred  feet  above  the  bed  of  the  present  stream, 
whieh  are  still  being  mined.  Some  heavy  gold  is  being  taken  out  on 
these  short  sections.  Most  of  these  bars  can  best  be  worked  by  drifting. 
The  wash  is  very  heavy.  The  bedrock  varies  from  a  block  schist  to  a 
soft  schist  and  slate.  Practically  all  of  this  territory  is  in  the  Paleozoic 
metamorphics.  Considerable  work  has  also  been  done  on  Willow  Creek 
above  Nelson  Point,  but  there  is  still  a  good  deal  of  ground  which 
apparently  has  not  been  prospected.  At  Nelson  Point  the  Pauly  Ranch 
undoubtedly  contains  a  short  turn  of  the  middle  fork  which  is  nearly 
half  a  mile  in  length  and  which  is  said  to  be  still  intact.  If  this  is  the 
case,  there  is  a  possibility  for  some  good  drift  ground  here,  as  all  of 


PhciTc 


ivel   Bank  rit  Australia  Mine. 


the  high  bars  of  the  Feather  Eiver  in  this  region  paid  very  well  in  the 
early  days. 

The  region  in  the  ncigliborhood  of  Quiiiey  and  ]\leadow  A^alley  has 
been  greatly  comi)lii'atcd  by  Pleistocene  faulting,  which  has  made  it 
exceedingly  difficult  to  correlate  any  of  these  channels.  IMeadow  Valley, 
whieh  is  believed  to  have  been  formed  at  the  close  of  the  ]\Iiocene  period 
by  a  down-throw,  was  in  Pliocene  and  Pleistocene  times  probably  a 
glacial  lake,  fed  by  streams  of  Pleistocene  age.  It  is,  roughly,  an  area 
of  four  or  five  square  miles,  practically  all  covered  by  gravel  from  three 
to  eighteen  feet  thick.  The  main  feeders  of  the  present  valley  are 
Waupanse  C*reek  and  Spanisli  Creek.  (Travel  has  been  Avorked  on  all 
sides  of  this  valley,  and  it  seems  possible  that  the  uuiin  valley  might 
have  some  ground  suitable  for  a  very  light  dredge  or  for  a  Ruble 
grizzly.  Water  for  the  latter  could  be  obtained  from  Spanish  Creek 
for  three  or  four  months  of  the  year,  in  excess  of  the  requirements  of 
the  Spanish  Creek  sawmill,  which  holds  first  water  rights. 

The  Australia  Mining  Company  recently  operated  a  mine  on  W;ui- 
panse  Creek  l)y  the  hydraulic  process.    Th(>  gravel  and  overburden  were 


110  CMJFORNIA   STATE    MINING   BUREAU. 

aUoiit  a  liuiulivd  Iwt  in  dcptli.  AVitli  llic  c'X('('])li()ii  oi'  about  six  feut  of 
blue  gravel  on  the  bottom  of  tlie  channel,  most  of  the  sravel  was  sub- 
angular  and  Avas  probably  late  wash.  Operations  in  1921  gave  a  total 
recovery  of  about  two  cents  per  yard.  Apparently  much  fine  gold  was 
lost  on  account  of  the  grade  which  was  given  to  the  sluices.  The  miners 
in  this  region  persist  in  using  from  twelve  to  sixteen  inches  of  grade  per 
tvv'elve-foot  box,  regardless  of  the  width  of  sluice  or  quantity  of  muddy 
vrater  that  may  be  used.  This  is  all  right  for  heavy  gold,  but  the 
process  used  in  northern  California  with  five-  to  nine-inch  grades  for 
saving  fine  gold,  according  to  the  writer's  experience,  produces  much 
better  results. 

On  the  opposite  side  of  Waupanse  Creek  lie  the  old  Gopher  Hill  dig- 
gings, closed  down  by  the  Debris  Commission  about  1895.  Most  of  the 
debris  from  this  mine  was  left  on  the  dumps,  only  the  very  fine  pebbles 
and  silt  going  doM^n  Spanish  Creek.  This  region  is  very  well  worked  out. 


Photo   No.    23.     Gopher    Hill   Diggings. 

The  Australia  channel  is  supposed  to  come  down  from  the  old  Pine 
Leaf  diggings,  and  is  about  two  miles  long. 

On  the  southwestern  end  of  Meadow  Valley  are  numerous  small 
deposits  of  subangular  gravel,  most  of  which  are  probably  lacustrine 
in  origin.  The  most  notable  of  these.  Scad  Point,  is  reported  to  have 
produced  about  a  hundred  thousand  dollars.  Operations  on  this  end 
include  the  Hazel  and  the  Deadwood  mines.  The  Channel  Peak  INIine 
on  the  west  side  of  Spanish  Peak  may  possibly  be  a  continuation  of  the 
old  channel  which  crossed  at  the  head  of  Mill  Creek  above  Belden. 
This  is  probably  one  of  the  Neocene  feeders  of  the  area  previous  to  the 
down-throw  of  Meadow  Valley.  This  channel  on  Spanish  Peak  is  about 
two  miles  long,  and  is  covered  with  a  very  heavy  pipe  clay. 

On  the  northwestern  side  of  the  valley,  coming  up  Spanish  Creek 
and  its  tributaries  to  Mountain  House,  is  a  channel  system  which  is 
prevolcanie,  and  is  probably  one  of  the  most  important  streams  of  this 
area.  A  well-defined  channel,  notable  by  the  white  quartz  which  pre- 
dominates, can  be  traced  through  from  Bean  Hill  clear  over  to  the 
north  fork  of  the  Feather.     It  is,  of  course,  broken  in  many  places  by 


GOLD  PLACERS  OF  CALIFORNLi.  Ill 

erosion.  ^Most  of  tlio  lava  caj)  has  Ix'cn  ])rok('n  down.  A  considerable 
portion  of  this  ehanncl  is  still  nndrifted  and  is  the  property  of  the 
►Spanish  Peak  Lunil)er  Company.  Water  for  operating?  would  have  to 
be  brought  from  Spanish  Creek.  This  ehannel  is  about  a  hundred  feet 
deep,  the  top  portion  being  white  gravel,  whioh  at  Bean  Hill  proved  to 
be  vers-  poor.  Drifting  operation  in  the  red  gravel  close  to  bedrock 
appears  to  show  much  better  values.  Following  up  Spanish  Creek 
below  IMountain  House  there  are  gulch  diggings  which  were  evidently 
rich  enough  to  be  extensively  worked,  and  below  ^lountain  House  is 
Kanaka  Creek  and  Maple  Flat,  which  in  1875  or  thereabouts  supported 
many  nlen.  Most  of  this  gravel  appears  to  have  been  a  concentration 
from  the  main  channel  which  goes  over  toward  the  north  fork  of  the 
Feather.  It  may  have  been  a  concentration  of  this  channel  or  it  may 
still  be  possible  to  develop  a  good  drift  mine  on  Kanaka  Flat.  The  old 
ditches  are  still  in  existence  and  plenty  of  timber  is  available. 

It  will  be  noted  that,  while  much  of  the  gravel  surrounding  the 
vallej^  is  recent  and  of  laerustine  origin,  there  are  still  two  main 
channel  systems  of  prevolcanie  times  which  have  furnished  most  of  the 
gold  which  has  been  taken  from  the  ]Meadow  Valley  and  Spanish  Ranch 
district.  A  reported  production  of  twenty-four  million  dollars  has 
lieen  taken  from  this  region.  On  both  of  these  channels  areas  of 
nndrifted  ground  are  still  left,  sections  of  which  might  be  Avorth  Avhile 
prospecting. 

The  American  Valley,  in  which  Quiney  is  situated,  has  been  pros- 
pected only  slightly.  The  ground  is  too  deep  for  dredging  and  too 
heavy  and  full  of  water  for  drifting  except  at  great  expense.  Agassiz 
and  Shaw  attempted  to  work  the  bedrock  of  Spanish  Creek  over  twenty 
years  ago  but  met  w^ith  complete  failure  after  the  expenditure  of  a 
great  deal  of  money.  Shafts  sunk  by  local  prospectors  in  the  tributary 
branch  of  the  valley  have  given  much  better  results.  One  shaft,  sunk 
in  the  northern  portion  of  the  valley  below  Elizabethtown  Flats,  is 
reported  to  have  yielded  two  hundred  thousand  dollars. 

On  Rock  Creek,  which  is  a  tributary  of  Spanish  Creek,  and  on  Slate 
Creek  is  the  Plumas  Imperial  property.  The  main  channel  comes  down 
between  both  of  these  creeks  on  the  ridge.  A  face  1500  feet  Avide  was 
worked  some  twenty-five  years  ago  by  Mr.  Hazzard,  who  then  owned 
the  property.  This  face  shoAvs  that  a  portion  of  the  ehannel  is  a  light 
cemented  gra\^el  similar  to  the  Channel  Peak,  and  may  have  been  left 
there  by  the  major  doAvn-throAv  Avhich  caused  the  formation  of  ^leadow^ 
Valley  at  the  close  of  Neocene  times.  The  remaining  portion  of  the 
channel  is  a  fine  gi'avel  of  probably  Pleistocene  age.  The  dump  into 
Rock  Creek  is  excellent  Avith  good  impounding  facilities  in  the  basin. 
There  Avas  apparently  ample  Avater  for  operations  Avith  a  head  of  450 
feet.  This  ground  is  now  OAvned  by  the  Spanish  Peak  Lumber  Com- 
pany. Above  this  on  Slate  Creek  two  other  channels  seem  to  have 
emptied  into  the  main  channel,  but  Avere  eroded  at  the  point  of  junction 
doAvn  into  the  basin.  Avhich  has  never  been  bottomed.  One  channel 
comes  doAvn  Quigley  Ravine  and  has  been  Avorked  since  the  earliest  days. 
The  other  comes  doAvn  Slate  Creek.  In  this  basin  there  is  a  po.ssible 
chance  for  a  hydraulic  mine,  as  the  basin  could  be  bottomed  by  a  four 
or  five  hundred  foot  cut  up  Slate  Creek,  and  from  this  basin  both 
Quigley  Ravine  and  Slate  Creek  gravels  could  be  AVorked.     The  basin 

8—28603 


112  CALIFORNIA   STATE    MINING   BUREAU. 

mentioned  formed  a  natural  concentration  basin  for  the  gold  from 
these  channels.  The  gravel  above  this  l)asin,  when  hydraulicked,  is 
reported  to  have  paid  $1.50  a  yard.  There  is  also  an  excellent  oppor- 
tunity for  drifting  on  the  Rock  Creek  side,  as  the  pay  in  this  portion 
of  the  channel  is  confined  to  a  narrow  width. 

On  Mill  Creek,  east  of  Quincy,  an  area  of  gravel  about  a  quarter  of 
a  mile  long  on  the  middle  fork  is  now  being  prospected  by  a  bedrock 
tunnel  some  six  hundred  feet  in  length  from  which  raises  are  being 
made  to  the  ancient  channel.  Below  on  this  same  property  is  a  flat 
which  has  never  been  worked,  which  looks  like  a  concentration  from 
this  same  channel.  Farther  down  on  the  same  creek,  where  it  empties 
into  the  American  Valley,  is  a  large  area,  which,  if  the  boulders  are  not 
too  heavy  and  the  ground  is  not  too  deep,  might  possibly  have  an 
opportunity  for  dredging. 

North  of  Quincy,  Bushman  Gulch,  which  enters  Black  Hawk  Creek 
on  the  southwest,  has  been  worked  since  the  early  days.  At  the  head 
of  the  gulch  the  channel  extends  for  over  a  mile.  The  whole  gulch, 
including  tailings,  would  probably  pay  to  hydraulic.  At  the  top  of  the 
gulch  three  shafts  have  been  sunk  to  liedroek  at  a  depth  of  nearly  one 
hundred  feet.  This  bedrock  is  higher  than  the  main  channel  and  may 
be  either  a  fault  block  or  a  bench  which  has  not  been  eroded.  In  order 
to  tap  the  main  channel  with  drifting  operations,  a  tunnel  1800  feet 
long  was  run  about  thirty  years  ago,  which  is  twenty-two  feet  above 
the  bottom  of  the  channel.  A  new  tunnel  at  about  fifty  feet  greater 
depth  would  bottom  this  channel  and  permit  drifting  virgin  ground 
for  nearly  a  mile  which  is  locally  supposed  to  be  good.  This  tunnel 
would  be  rendered  much  shorter  by  first  stripping  the  gulch  to  bed- 
rock by  hydraulic  methods.  Excellent  impounding  space  and  dump 
exist  in  Black  Hawk  Creek,  and  plenty  of  water  is  available  in  the 
old  Bushman  ditch.  Possibly  the  best  place  to  get  in  to  the  Bushman 
channel  for  extended  working  would  be  over  on  the  Black  Hawk  side. 
A  tunnel  about  a  thousand  feet  in  length  should  give  access  to  the 
entire  channel,  as  both  rims  are  visible.  For  the  upper  ground  a  short 
tunnel  could  be  driven  below  the  present  shafts.  Part  of  this  ground 
paid  from  five  to  ten  dollars,  but  a  portion  of  it  is  still  unworked. 
Lower  down  on  the  channel  the  gravel  is  said  to  be  practically  intact. 
This  portion  would  be  best  reached  from  the  Black  Hawk  side. 

The  greater  part  of  the  Quincy  district  is  composed  of  slates  and 
quartzites  of  the  Calaveras  formation.  Clermont  Hill  is  capped  by 
basalt.  West  of  Clermont  Hill  the  contact  is  with  an  amphibolite 
schist.  Farther  north  the  contact  is  with  the  Calaveras.  All  the  region 
from  Clermont  to  the  northwest  of  Thompson  Valle.y,  including  the 
rock  under  the  alluvial  deposits  of  American  Valley,  is  composed  of 
Calaveras  formation.  American  Valley  and  Thompson  Valley  are 
covered  by  recent  alluvial  deposits.  American  Valley  represents  a 
basin  filled  with  gravel,  sand  and  other  sediments,  deposited  by  large 
creeks  emptying  into  it.  The  Calaveras  formation  Avas  deposited  in 
Carboniferous  times  and  is  the  oldest  formation  in  the  district.  This  is 
immediately  overlain  by  the  youngest  formation,  which  is  the  alluvial 
deposit  of  American  Valley. 

In  American  Valley  Pleistocene  gravels  are  found  between  Quincy 
and  Meadow  Valley,  several  hundred  feet  above  the  present  canyon  of 


GOLD   PLACERS   OP    CALIFORNLA..  113 

Spanish  Creek  on  the  noi-tli  side  of  llie  stream.  American  Valley  ^vas 
evidently  a  lake  until  a  short  time  attei-  the  dislocation  at  the  close  of 
the  Neocene  period.  Gravels  indicating'  an  outlet  are  found  near 
Elizabethtown.  The  gravel  corresponds  to  some  small  remnants  of 
bench  gravel  about  five  liundred  feet  above  the  present  bottom  of  Lower 
Spanish  Creek.  This  outlet  was  later  abandoned  by  Spanish  Creek  in 
the  gulch  from  Elizabethtown  to  American  Valley.  Auriferous  deposits 
of  later  channels  are  found  draining  toward  American  Valley. 

:^rost  of  the  prevolcanic  streams  of  the  Sierras  appear  to  have  had  a 
general  southwesterly  drainage  into  the  inland  sea  of  the  Sacramento 
Valley.  Upon  the  present  drainage  of  the  Feather  River,  there  is 
evidence,  however,  of  a  stream  which  flowed  northerly  and  westerly 
toward  Mountain  ^Meadows  and  was  of  considerable  extent.  This  has 
been  named  the  Jura  River.  Two  main  branches  of  this  stream  have 
channels  which  are  distinct  and  well-defined.  The  westerly  branch  is 
first  noted  in  the  ]Mohawk  Valley.  On  the  south  side  of  this  valley  there 
is  evidence  of  a  channel  apparently  prevolcanic,  whicli  is  exposed  at 
the  Jackson  and  the  AVilson  diggings  on  Sulphur  Creek.  This  channel 
contains  a  deep  wash  without  volcanic  pebbles,  much  like  the  wash  of 
the  ]\IcCray  Ridge  but  not  so  heavy.  It  may  possibly  be  a  portion  of 
tlie  same  system  wliieh  was  thrown  down  by  the  ^lohawk  Valley  fault. 
]\rore  probably,  however,  it  is  a  portion  of  the  Jura  channel,  which 
flows  along  the  north  edge  of  the  valley.  This  channel  comes  through 
from  above  Clio  and  around  by  Blairsden.  Continuing  on  under  the 
southern  base  of  Jackson  Peak,  it  extends  northwesterly.  Up  aliove  the 
lumber  mill  at  Cromberg  there  is  evidence  of  hydraulicking  done 
seventy  years  ago  on  this  channel.  Below  Jackson  Peak  the  channel  is 
well-defined  with  some  intervolcanic  wash  and  some  older  gravels, 
extending  all  along  the  northeast  side  of  the  Mohawk  Valley.  The 
channel  passes  through  the  TefTt  ]\rine  and  over  the  head  of  Long 
Valley  and  Little  Long  Valley  to  Grizzly  Rock  above  Squirrel  Creek. 
From  there  on  it  makes  its  way  on  the  south  side  of  Grizzl}-^  Valley 
to  the  Cascade  ]\Iine,  and  then  on  dowTi  Grizzly  Creek  toward 
Genesee  Valle3\  There  has  not  been  much  drifting  on  this  channel, 
although  the  gulches  intersected  by  it  have,  in  almost  every  case,  been 
ground-sluiced  or  hydraulicked.  A  great  deal  of  hj'draulicking  was 
done  above  Lovejoy's  at  the  Cascade  ]Mine.  From  here  on  the  channel 
is  practically  eroded  into  Little  Grizzly  Creek  wliich  it  has  enriched  all 
the  way  down,  resulting  in  the  Grizzly  Creek  placers. 

This  channel  crosses  Indian  Creek  somcAvhere  below  Genesee  and 
appears  again  a  mile  northeast  of  i\ fount  Jura  at  Taylor's  diggings, 
where  apparently  the  southAvestern  rim  has  been  Avorked.  The  gravel 
here  is  clearly  prevolcanic  in  character.  At  Taylor's  diggings  the 
channel  goes  deep  under  the  ridge  and  crosses  the  heads  of  Light's  and 
Cook's  canyons  southAvest  of  Kettle  Rock  and  through  -Moonlight 
Canyon.  From  here  on  it  empties  into  Mountain  MeadoAvs,  Avhere  it 
A\  inds  out  into  a  very  deep  channel  Avhich  is  probably  a  delta.  On  the 
rims  of  this,  and  especially  above  here  in  ]Moonlight  Canyon  and  Light's 
Canyon,  much  gold  was  taken  out  in  the  early  days. 

The  main  branch  of  the  Jura  RiA^er,  hoAvever,  Avas  a  much  longer  and 
wider  course  to  the  north  and  east  of  tiie  one  described.     This  emptied 


314  CALIFORNIA    STATE    MINING   BUREATT. 

into  the  ocean  iiiiR-li  I'arthci-  norlh  nuni  Mouiihiin  IMcMdows,  being 
abont  whciv  Dnck  Ijakc  is  now.  The  lowci-  end  is  coniplctcly  covered 
])}■  a  volcanic  cap.  Tlie  head  waters  of  this  eliannel  were  proba])ly 
somewhere  near  Loyalton  and  are  deeply  buried  under  the  Pleistocene 
wash  of  Sierra  Valley.  It  crossed  somewhere  above  Beckwith  and 
can  be  picked  up  above  the  road  on  Red  Clover  Creek  a  few  miles  from 
there.  From  here  on  it  can  be  trailed  on  the  sonthwest  side  of  Red 
Clover  Valley  around  the  east  side  of  Blount  Ingells  and  across  Squaw 
Creek  and  Indian  Creek  a  considerable  distance  above  Genesee.  It 
passes  north  of  Kettle  Rock  and  through  by  Diamond  Mountain  where 
it  has  been  bent  from  the  Honey  Lake  fault,  thereby  giving  the  impres- 
sion of  a  southward  flowing  channel.  It  passed  west  of  Susanville  and 
crosses  the  road  not  very  far  from  Westwood.  I-ts  course  can  be  clearly 
traced  through  the  Walker  Ranch  as  far  as  Duck  Lake.  A  branch 
probably  came  in  at  the  head  of  Lone  Rock  Creek,  which  crossed  high 
up  on  Indian  Creek.  The  fact  that  this  is  the  older  course  of  the  river 
is  evidenced  by  the  age  of  the  fossils  found  west  of  Susanville,  whereas 
the  western  branch,  described  before,  shows  fossils  that  are  much 
younger.  For  this  reason,  it  seems  possible  that  a  diversion  may  have 
l)een  caused  by  the  Honey  Lake  faulting,  thereby  changing  the  stream 
from  an  older  to  a  later  bed.  Possibly,  however,  there  was  a  .iunction 
of  these  two  channels  at  the  delta  near  Stockton's  Ranch.  The 
immense  amount  of  gravel  here  is  probably  more  largely  due  to  the 
eastern  branch  than  to  the  western,  which  is  comparatively  small.  This 
channel  can  clearly  be  traced  as  an  entirely  separate  stream  from  that 
of  the  IMohawk  Valley  until  the  possible  junction  above  mentioned. 

In  addition  to  the  gravels  already  discussed  under  the  head  of  the 
Feather  River,  there  are  certain  sections  of  channel  which  undoubtedly 
drain  southward  toward  the  old  Cretaceous  Yuba.  Commencing  above 
Moh.awk  Valley  on  the  ridge  dividing  Jameson  Creek  and  the  east 
fork  of  Nelson  Creek,  Avhich  are  both  trilnitary  to  the  Feather  River, 
there  is  a  channel  called  the  McCray  Ridge  Channel,  which  is  still  very 
largely  virgin,  and  in  many  places  is  heavily  lava-capped.  There  are 
excellent  opportunities  for  drifting  on  this  channel,  and  the  work  at 
the  Sunnyside  Mine  has  proved  the  values  contained  therein.  The  first 
trace  of  this  channel  appears  above  Squirrel  Creek  in  the  Mohawk 
Valley.  Crossing  over  to  the  west  side  of  the  ridge,  it  breaks  out  on 
the  head  of  Jameson  Creek,  and  can  be  seen  all  the  way  dovm  from  the 
crossing  of  the  Johnsville-La  Porte  Road  for  four  or  five  miles  down 
to  the  Sunnyside  Mine.  This  channel  carries  a  great  deal  of  Avater  and 
is  Cretaceous  in  its  age,  the  original  channel  being  without  volcanic 
wash.  On  this  ridge  there  is  at  least  four  miles  of  virgin  channel.  It 
is  one  of  the  most  important  channels  in  the  district  and,  judging  from 
M^hat  w^as  done  at  the  Sunnyside  Mine  above  Rattlesnake  Peak,  it 
contains  good  values. 

About  a  mile  north  of  Rattlesnake  Peak  a  flow  of  the  younger  basalt 
crossed  the  j\TcCray  Ridge  Channel  and  forced  a  large  portion  of  the 
gravel  down  the  hill.  This  was  discovered  in  1882  and  worked  by 
hydraulicking  as  the  Sunnyside  INIine.  In  ten  years  upwards  of  ninety 
thousand  dollars  was  taken  out  in  the  handling  of  some  twenty-five 
thousand  yards  of  gravel.  There  still  remains  nearly  ten  times  as  much 
gravel  here,  which  seems  suitable  for  hydraulicking.     The  great  diflfi- 


GOLD   PLACERS   OF    CALIFOKXLA.. 


115 


ciiltv,  however,  lies  in  getting  suffieient  water  on  the  gronnd  to  handle 
the  material  to  the  greatest  advantage.  In  the  early  days  whatever 
water  eame  down  in  the  spring  and  fall  was  iinponnded.  and  as  mueh 
as  two  thonsand  dollars  taken  out  with  twenty  days'  work  for  one  man. 
This  gravel  has  undoubtedly  been  pushed  out  from  the  iNIcCray  Ridge 
Channel.  A  tunnel  was  run  in  about  850  feet  to  tap  this  channel  but 
was  too  high.  A  shaft  was  sunk  at  the  end  of  the  tunnel  ninety  feet 
to  bedrock,  l)ut  thei'e  was  not  a  very  tliick  streak  of  pay  gravel.  Al)out 
twelve  carloads  taken  from  this  streak,  amounting  to  only  about  four 
cubic  yards,  before  the  water  from  the  channel  drove  the  operators 
out  produced  $150.     The  gold  was  heavy,  as  was  tliat  in  the  hydraulic 


Photo  No.  27.    CJibi-aUar  Mine,  Sierra  County. 

diggings  below,  tlie  largest  piece  being  over  $3,000  in  value,  from  the 
Sunnyside  Hydraulic  ]\Iine.  Tlie  channel  swings  southwest  across  the 
Burnham  ground,  adjoining  the  Sunnyside,  and  goes  on  under  the 
east  slope  of  Rattlesnake  Peak,  as  the  rims  can  be  traced  over  half  a 
mile  at  this  point.  Beyond  the  west  slope  of  Rattlesnake  Peak  is  the 
Gibraltar  ^line.  It  is  woi'king  on  the  gravel  which  is  probably  another 
run  of  this  same  channel.  Considerable  lii'avy  gold  has  been  taken  out. 
On  the  south  fork  of  Xelsoii  Ci-eek,  which  drains  into  the  luiddh' 
fork  of  the  Feather  River,  there  is  evidence  of  a  channel  which  extends 
northeasterly  from  Table  Rock  under  Mount  Fillmore.     In  addition  to 


116 


CALIFORNIA   STATE    MINING   BUREAU. 


this,  the  extension  of  the  Hepsidani  Channel  conies  around  under  Blue- 
nose  Peak  and  swings  easterly  toward  the  McCray  Ridge.  This  has 
been  eroded  into  Nelson  Creek  and  has  gradually  enriched  it.  Near 
the  head  of  this  creek  erosion  from  Bluenose  Ridge  has  produced  a 
large  amount  of  gravel  which  is  suitable  for  hydraulic  mining,  and 
which  has  been  mined  in  a  small  way  for  several  years  with  debris 
dams.  The  principal  operators  are  at  Bull  Gulch,  at  Red  Ravine  and 
at  the  Standard  Mine  on  the  main  Nelson  Creek.  This  ground  has 
been  worked  since  the  early  days  and  has  proved  quite  rich.  At  present 
it  is  being  operated  by  ground  sluices,  but  a  large  area  of  hydraulic 
ground  is  still  available.  The  Standard  Mine  put  in  a  debris  dam,  but 
it  is  now  full,  and  they  have  discontinued  operations. 

On  Hopkins  Creek,  Poormans  Creek  and  Dixon  Creek  there  is  con- 
siderable hydraulic  ground,  caused  by  the  erosion  of  the  Onion  Valley 


Photo   No.    24.     Nelson    Creek,    Plumas   County. 

and  Sawpit  channel,  which  will  be  discussed  under  the  head  of  the 
Cretaceous  Yuba  River  drainage. 

Including  all  of  the  available  drift  mining  territory  of  the  possible 
hydraulic  ground  embraced  in  the  drainage  of  the  Feather  River,  it  is 
fairly  safe  to  assume  a  total  of  about  five  hundred  million  yards,  of 
Avhich  probably  three  hundred  million  yards  is  of  economic  value.  The 
lower  portion  of  the  Feather  River  system  drains  the  area  of  amphib- 
olite  schists  and  green  stone.  Higher  up,  however,  we  encounter  rocks 
of  Carboniferous  age  in  addition  to  great  masses  of  Tertiary  volcanics. 
The  Feather  River  region,  as  a  whole,  has  produced  many  millions  of 
dollars,  but  at  the  present  time  there  is  very  little  gravel  property  in 
an  operating  condition.  Notwithstanding  this  fact,  there  are  undoubt- 
edly several  opportunities  for  opening  up  profitable  drift  and  hydraulic 
mines.  The  question  of  debris  storage  would  probably  be  solved  by 
building  dams  on  Indian  Creek  and  on  the  middle  fork  of  the  Feather 
River.  -  "^Ifli 

The  water  rights  in  this  country  are  excellent,  as  they  drain  from 
the  high  slopes  of  the  Sierras,  on  which  the  snow  is  densely  packed  in 
winter. 


gold  placers  of  californu.  117 

Section  3. 
region  of  the  yuba,  bear  and  american  rivers. 

In  the  consideration  of  the  region  around  Bangor,  although  it  is 
drained  by  Honcut  Creek,  which  is  a  tributary  of  the  Feather,  it  is 
taken  under  this  heading  as  during  the  period  of  Its  formation  it  was 
undoubtedly  a  portion  of  the  ancient  Yuba  River  delta.  A  large 
channel,  which  is  first  noted  on  the  Turner  Ranch  near  Bangor,  crosses 
under  the  town  and  runs  toward  Wyandotte,  thence  turning  westerly 
toward  the  Feather  River.  This  is  locally  known  as  the  Blue  Lead 
Channel,  and  the  point  at  which  it  joins  the  Neocene  shore  gravels  is 
still  obscure.  It  has  been  extensively  mined  at  Kentucky  Ranch,  at 
Bangor  and  at  the  Turner  Mine,  but  the  main  channel  is  still  intact. 
The  gold  is  rusty  and  rather  flaky  and  in  spots  on  the  upper  benches 
the  channel  is  very  rich.  The  gravel  is  hard  and  cemented  in  the  main 
channel,  although  some  soft  ground  exists  near  Bangor.  This  channel 
could  be  drained  above  Kentucky  Ranch,  but  most  of  it  would  have  to 
be  worked  by  a  shaft.  IMuch  gulch  placer  work  was  done  near  Wyan- 
dotte in  the  early  days.  IMost  of  it  probably  came  from  local  seams 
and  pockets  which  were  concentrated  in  the  gulches.  The  same  type 
of  workings  appears  near  Honcut,  but  apparently  most  of  this  ground 
has  been  completely  worked  out. 

A  good  deal  of  loose,  detrital  material  has  been  washed  for  gold  at 
Perry  diggings  and  other  places  north  of  Honcut,  but  most  of  this 
material  is  similar  to  that  around  Wyandotte,  being  probably  of 
Pleistocene  age,  and  deriving  its  gold  from  quartz  seams  in  the  under- 
lying rock.  South  of  Wyandotte  is  an  exposure  of  shore  gravels  that 
have  been  waslied  by  hydrauliclang,  which  contain  layers  of  yellow 
sandstone.  In  this  region  there  is  evidence  of  shore  gravels  of  two 
periods  which  merge  into  one  another. 

In  the  dredging  fields  around  Ilammonton  are  extensive  areas  of 
gravel  which  are  undoubtedly  a  portion  of  the  delta  of  the  ancient  Yuba 
River.  These  dredging  fields  have  been  so  often  described,  and  are  so 
near  exhaustion,  that  the  reader  is  referred  to  the  bibliography  for 
details  concerning  them.  These  gravels  often  occur  interstratified  with 
rhyolite  and  andesite  mud.  For  some  distance  above  Hammonton,  in 
the  low,  rolling  hills  to  the  east,  there  is  no  further  sign  of  this  channel, 
but  about  six  miles  west  of  Smartsville,  and  south  of  the  present  Yuba 
River,  there  is  a  very  good  exposure.  At  Sicard  Flat,  north  of  the 
Yuba  River,  a  large  quantity  of  hydraulic  gravel  is  still  available, 
which  has  an  excellent  dump  into  the  present  Yuba.  Above  this,  at 
Timbuctoo,  the  gravel  is  all  well  mined  out,  but  in  the  neighborhood 
of  Smartsville  there  are  a  great  many  million  yards  which  appear  to 
be  excellent  hydraulic  ground,  at  Succor  Flat.  From  Smartsville  on 
up  to  Mooney  Flat  considerable  mining  has  been  done,  but  millions 
of  yards  still  remain  to  be  hydraulicked.  From  INIooney  Flat  on  up 
to  French  Corral  the  major  portion  of  the  channel  seems  to  have  been 
eroded,  possibly  by  the  present  south  fork  of  the  Yuba,  but  west  of 
Rapp's  Ranch  there  is  still  a  little  gravel.  The  more  or  less  continuous 
deposits  from  San  Juan  to  French  Corral  have  been  hydraulicked 
almost  throughout  their  entire  extent.  The  main  portion  of  the 
channel  has  been  worked,  but  there  is  considerable  gravel  on  both  front 


118  CALIFORNIA   STATE    MINING   BUREAU. 

and  baek  rims.  The  maximum  depth  of  this  gravel  is  250  feet. 
Although  Frem-li  Corral  has  l)een  mined  since  the  early  days,  above  it 
at  Sweetland,  Bireliville,  American  Diggings,  and  Sebastopol  there  is 
still  a  good  deal  of  gravel  to  be  mined.  At  North  San  Juan  is  a  tre- 
mendous body  of  gravel  available  for  hydraulicking.  Most  of  this 
ground  is  tributary  to  the  old  IMilton  ]\Iining  Company's  ditch.  A 
characteristic  of  most  of  the  channel  from  North  San  Juan  down  is 
that  the  upper  portion  seems  to  have  been  cemented  by  tremendous 
flows  of  volcanic  mud. 

At  North  San  Juan  is  a  channel  which  comes  in  from  the  northwest 
on  the  east  side  of  the  north  fork  of  the  Yuba  River.  This  extends  for 
several  miles  on  the  west  side  of  Moonshine  and  contains  considerable 
virgin  ground,  which  w^ould  probably  be  worth  while  drifting,  as, 
wherever  the  gulches  from  MooiLshine  Creek  have  cut  it,  they  have 
been  greatly  enriched.  This  channel  crosses  the  north  fork  of  the  Yuba 
in  the  neighborhood  of  Foster  Bar  and  goes  up  toward  Challenge.  "West 
of  Greenville  some  mining  has  been  done  on  this  channel,  and  a  good 
deal  has  been  done  at  New  York  Flat  and  east  of  the  Clayton  Ranch. 
Whether  the  New  York  Flat  diggings  are  connected  with  this  same 
channel  is,  however,  extremely  doubtful,  as  the  gravel  appears  to  be 
subangular  and  is  possibly  of  local  origin.  It  may  be  that,  after  leav- 
ing Greenville,  this  channel  runs  almost  due  north  across  the  lower  end 
of  Woodville  Creek,  as  this  was  considerably  enriched,  presumably  by 
the  erosion  of  one  of  the  ancient  channels.  Above  North  San  Juan  for 
about  four  or  five  miles  the  main  channel  of  the  ancient  Yuba  appears 
to  have  been  practically  eroded.  At  Badger  Hill,  however,  it  again 
assumes  enormous  proportions,  from  Badger  Ilill  clear  up  to  North 
Bloomfield,  along  what  is  known  as  the  San  Juan  Ridge. 

This  area  probably  contains  the  largest  possible  hydraulic  mine  yet 
remaining  in  the  State  of  California.  Gravels  are  from  three  hundred 
to  six  hundred  feet  in  depth,  and  bedrock  has  not  been  exposed  in  the 
center  of  the  channel  during  practically  the  entire  length  of  seven 
miles.  This  is  undoubtedly  the  largest  single  body  of  commercial 
hydraulic  gravel  in  the  State  of  California.  It  is  mostly  owned  by  one 
company  and  contains  anywhere  from  eight  hundred  million  to  twelve 
hundred  million  yards  of  gravel,  which  will  run,  according  to  the 
records  of  former  operations,  in  the  neighborhood  of  twelve  to  fifteen 
cents  a  yard.  In  the  IMalakoff  diggings  on  the  upper  end  of  this  body 
of  gravel  drifting  operations  in  the  past  two  years  have  shown  values 
running  better  than  $25  a  yard  on  and  near  bedrock.  In  1917  the 
ground  from  North  Columbia  down  to  Badger  Hill  Avas  prospected  by 
Keystone  drills  very  extensively. 

The  values  in  this  ground  may  roughly  be  estimated  from  the  fact 
that  the  old  washings  of  surface  ground  near  ]\Ialakoff  from  1870  to 
1874  were  estimated  at  about  3,250,000  cubic  yards,  the  yield  of  which 
w^as  in  the  neighborhood  of  three  cents  per  cubic  yard.  In  1876  and 
1877  about  1,600,000  yards  were  washed,  which  yielded  about  four 
cents  per  cubic  yard.  This,  of  course,  was  top  gravel.  At  the  same 
time  the  company  washed  about  700,000  yards  of  bottom  gravel,  which 
yielded  about  thirty-three  cents  per  cubic  yard.  The  liottom  gravel 
extended  from  liedrock  upward  about  seventy  feet.  The  top  gravel 
averaged  from  thirty  feet  to  over  two  hundred  feet  in  depth.     The 


119 

3s  from 
•  waters 
me  that 
lis  com- 
t.  The 
h  of  the 
French 

;tly  dis- 
middle 
r  Creek 
low  the 
the  tail- 
's. The 
.  at  this 
porta  lit 
I  of  the 
it  eig'ht 
osed  at 
largely 
ut  over 
'h  finer, 
of  sand 
mbia  a 
P  gravel 
zly  Hill 
before 
rvey  on 

tlon^  rlic 
channel, 
■pest  blue 
clay  and 
ith  ande- 
is  a^ain 
e  breccia 
•e  east  of 
ael  forks 
north  of 
channel. 
5,  capped 

;ry  larse 
1  feet  in 
posit  has 

Canyon, 
he  water 
lB    tunnel 

the  only 
(d   before 


)omfield 
anee  of 
y.  The 
ed.  l)ut 


MAI»   —    _ 

SHOWirSC  A  PORTiOIJ 

NKIMKNK  <ii;AVKlJ'IIANXKI-S 
NK\:\1>A  (  «  )f   X'l  ^ 

TodV^O     ..It  ••    -:.-.:.   :. 

K.I"  <•  i*i.-i..M  i; 


GOLD  PLACERS  OF  CALIFORNLl.  119 

water  used  in  mining  this  particular  section  of  channel  comes  from 
the  old  Milton  ditch  and  tlic  Eureka  ditch,  which  derived  tlieir  waters 
from  Big  Canyon  Creek  and  the  middle  Yu])a  River.  At  the  time  that 
hydraulic  mining  was  suppressed,  the  total  reservoir  area  of  this  com- 
pany contained  a  capacity  of  about  2,200,000,000  cubic  feet.  The 
length  of  the  ditches  of  this  company  was  157  miles.  The  length  of  the 
ditch  of  the  Milton  Company,  which  operated  below,  above  French 
Corral,  was  about  80  miles. 

The  tailings  from  this  tremendous  body  of  gravel  were  mostly  dis- 
charged in  tributaries  of  the  soutli  fork  of  the  Yul)a  and  tlie  middle 
fork.  By  the  building  of  a  dam  jnst  below  the  junction  of  Deer  Creek 
and  the  middle  fork,  and  the  construction  of  a  similar  one  below  the 
junction  of  Shady  Creek  and  the  south  fork,  practically  all  of  the  tail- 
ings of  this  area  could  be  impounded  for  the  next  hundred  years.  The 
channel  is  probably  at  its  widest  near  North  Columbia.  Gravel  at  this 
point  is  over  four  hundred  feet  in  depth.  A  junction  of  two  important 
streams  occurs  at  a  place  near  North  Columbia.  The  total  area  of  the 
gravels  between  Badger  Hill  and  North  Bloomfield  covers  about  eight 
square  miles.  Gravels  in  the  deepest  trough,  which  is  exposed  at 
Badger  Hill  and  at  Grizzly  Hill,  are  very  coarse  and  made  up  largely 
of  metamorphic  rocks,  while  the  deep  gravels  which  spread  out  over 
the  benches  are  largely  composed  of  white  quartz  and  are  unich  finer. 
Near  the  surface,  but  at  the  base  of  the  lava  cap,  is  a  great  deal  of  sand 
and  light-colored  clay.  In  the  neighborhood  of  North  Columbia  a 
great  deal  of  surface  work  has  been  done  and  about  150  feet  of  gravel 
has  been  washed  off.  The  deepest  part  of  the  deposit  at  Grizzly  Hill 
will  re(iuire  a  considerable  expenditure  for  bedrock  tunnels  before 
working.  To  (piote  from  tlie  report  of  the  U.  S.  Geological  Survey  on 
this  area : 

"At  North  IllouniHi'ld  tlic  exposures  are  mostly  in  the  hydnuilic  l)aiil\  nloiii;  tlie 
(•<'uter  of  the  channel.  The  bedrock  I'ises  north  and  south  of  the  main  cliannid. 
Acrass  the  bottom  it  is  nearly  level  for  three  or  four  hundred  feet.  The  deepest  bhi<i 
gravel  is  130  feet  thick.  This  is  capped  by  heavy?  bodies  of  light-colored  clay  and 
sand,  iuterstratified  with  fine  gravel,  and  near  the  top  occasionally  also  with  ande- 
sitic  tuff.  The  clay  and  sand  may  reach  ISO  feet  in  thickness.  Tills  is  again 
covered  by  six  hundred  feet  of  tuffaceons  breccia.  The  lower  surface  of  the  breccia 
is  uneven,  as  shown  by  the  fact  that  sand  and  clay  crop  out  a  short  distance  east  of 
the  Dorbec  Mine.  About  one  mile  north  of  North  Bloomfield  the  channel  forks 
again  below  the  lava.  The  main  fork  has  its  inlet  from  the  lava  ridge  north  of 
Backbone  House,  where  the  configurf^tiou  shows  the  existence  of  a  deep  channel, 
along  the  center  of  which  Bloody  Kun  has  excavated  its  canyon.  Gravels,  capped 
by  heavy  masses  of  slide  clay,  are  here  exposed. 

"Hydraulic  mining  has  been  carried  on  at  North  Bloomfield  on  a  very  large 
scale.  The  excavations  extend  for  fvCOO  feet  and  are  five  to  six  hundred  feet  in 
width.  The  banks  are  as  nuicli  as  five  hundred  feet  in  height.  The  deposit  has 
been  opened  by  a  bedrock  tunnel  7874  feet  long,  starting  from  Humbug  Canyon. 
The  sum  of  .t;."..(MtO.(l(l<)  is  said  to  have  been  exjjended  upon  this  tunnel,  the  water 
supply  and  other  preliminary  work.  Shortly  after  the  comi)letion  of  the  tunnel 
hydraulic  mining  was  suspended  by  injunction  of  the  courts  and  since  then  the  only 
gravels  worked  have  Ikh'u  those  the  tailings  of  which  could  be  impounded  before 
reaching  the  river." 

The  evidence  upon  the  channel  extending  from  North  IMoomfield 
down  as  far  as  French  Corral  shows  very  plainly  the  importance  of 
glacial  action  with  regard  to  the  distribution  of  gravels  and  pay.  Tlie 
theory  of  pre-Tertiary  glaciation  has  not  been  generally  admit  ted.  hut 


118 

and  back  rim 
Altliougli  Frei 
at  Sweetland, 
still  a  good  de 
mendous  body 
ground  is  tril 
characteristic 
that  the  uppe 
flows  of  volcar 

At  North  Sj 
on  the  east  sid 
several  miles  ( 
virgin   ground 
wherever  the 
been  greatly  ei 
in  the  neighbo 
of  Greenville 
deal  has  been 
Whether  the 
channel  is,  ho 
subangular  an 
ing  Greenville 
of  Woodville  ' 
the  erosion  of 
about  four  or 
to  have  been 
assumes  enori 
Bloomfield,  ah 

This  area  p 
remaining  in  1 
to  six  hundrec 
center  of  the 
miles.      This 
hydraulic  gra^ 
company  and 
hundred  milli 
records  of  for 
cents  a  yard, 
of  gravel  drif  - 
running  bette 
ground  from 
Keystone  dril 

The  values 
that  the  old  "\ 
1874  were  esti 
was  in  the  ne 
1877  about  1 
cents  per  cub 
time  the  comj; 
yielded  about 
extended  froi 
averaged  froi 


GOLD   PLACERS   OF    CALIPORNLi.  119 

water  used  in  mining'  this  particular  section  of  channel  comes  from 
the  old  ]\Iilton  ditcli  and  the  Eureka  ditch,  which  derived  tlieir  waters 
from  Bio-  Canyon  Creek  and  the  middle  Yul)a  River.  At  the  time  that 
hydraulic  mining  was  suppressed,  the  total  reservoir  area  of  this  com- 
pany contained  a  capacity  of  about  2,200,000,000  cubic  feet.  The 
length  of  the  ditches  of  this  company  was  157  miles.  The  length  of  the 
ditch  of  the  ]\lilton  Company,  which  operated  below,  above  French 
Corral,  was  al)out  80  miles. 

The  tailings  from  this  tremendous  body  of  gravel  were  mostly  dis- 
charged in  tributaries  of  the  south  fork  of  the  Yul)a  and  tlie  middle 
fork.  By  the  building  of  a  dam  jiLst  below  the  junction  of  Deer  Creek 
and  the  middle  fork,  and  the  construction  of  a  similar  one  below  the 
.i unction  of  Shady  Creek  and  the  south  fork,  practically  all  of  the  tail- 
ings of  this  area  could  be  impounded  for  the  next  liundred  years.  The 
channel  is  probably  at  its  widest  near  North  Columbia.  Gravel  at  this 
point  is  over  four  hundred  feet  in  depth.  A  junction  of  two  important 
streams  occurs  at  a  place  near  North  Columbia.  The  total  area  of  the 
gravels  between  Badger  Hill  and  North  Bloomfield  covers  about  eight 
square  miles.  Gravels  in  the  deepest  trough,  which  is  exposed  at 
Badger  Hill  and  at  Grizzly  Hill,  are  very  coarse  and  made  up  largely 
of  metamorphic  rocks,  while  the  deep  gravels  which  spread  out  over 
the  benches  are  largely  composed  of  white  quartz  and  are  much  finer. 
Near  the  surface,  but  at  the  base  of  the  lava  cap,  is  a  great  deal  of  sand 
and  light-colored  clay.  In  the  neighborhood  of  North  Columbia  a 
great  deal  of  surface  work  has  been  done  and  about  150  feet  of  gravel 
has  been  washed  off.  The  deepest  part  of  the  deposit  at  Grizzly  Hill 
will  require  a  considerable  expenditure  for  l)edrock  tunnels  before 
working.  To  quote  from  the  report  of  the  U.  S.  Geological  Survey  on 
this  area : 

"At  North  JJloomfii'ld  the  cxiiusun's  are  mostly  in  the  liydraiiHc  hank  alon.u  the 
center  of  the  channel.  The  hedrock  rises  north  and  sontli  of  the  main  channel. 
Across  the  bottom  it  is  nearly  level  for  three  or  four  hundred  feet.  The  deepest  bluo 
jjrravel  is  130  feet  thick.  This  is  capped  by  heavy  bodies  of  light-colored  clay  and 
sand,  interstratified  with  fine  gravel,  and  near  the  top  occasionally  also  with  ande- 
sitic  tuff.  The  clay  and  sand  may  reach  150  feet  in  thickness.  This  is  again 
covered  by  six  hundred  feet  of  tuffaceous  breccia.  The  lower  surface  of  the  breccia 
is  uneven,  as  shown  by  the  fact  that  sand  and  clay  crop  out  a  short  distance  east  of 
the  Dorbec  Mine.  About  one  mile  north  of  North  Bloomfield  the  channel  forks 
again  below  the  lava.  The  main  fork  has  its  inlet  from  the  lava  ridge  north  of 
Backbone  House,  whei-e  the  configuration  shows  the  existence  of  a  deep  channel, 
along  the  center  of  which  Bloody  Run  has  excavated  its  canj-on.  Gravels,  capped 
by  heavy  masses  of  slide  clay,  are  here  exposed. 

"Hydraulic  mining  has  been  carried  on  at  North  Bloomfield  on  a  very  large 
scale.  The  excavations  extend  for  5000  feet  and  are  five  to  six  hundred  feet  in 
width.  The  banks  are  as  much  as  five  hundred  feet  in  height.  The  deposit  has 
been  opened  by  a  bedrock  tunnel  7874  feet  long,  starting  from  Humbug  Canj-on. 
The  sum  of  .$.">.( HIO.tKJO  is  said  to  have  been  expended  upon  this  tunnel,  the  water 
supply  and  other  preliminary  work.  Shortly  after  the  completion  of  the  tunnel 
hydraulic  mining  was  suspended  by  injunction  of  the  courts  and  since  then  the  only 
gravels  worked  have  Ix'en  those  the  tailings  of  which  could  l)o  impounded  before 
reaching  the  river." 

The  evidence  upon  the  channel  extending  from  North  Bloomfield 
down  as  far  as  French  Corral  shows  very  plainly  the  im|)ortance  of 
glacial  action  with  regard  to  the  distribution  of  gravels  and  pay.  The 
theory  of  pre-Tertiary  glaciation  has  not  been  generally  admitted,  but 


120  CALIFORNIA   STATE    MINING   BUREAU. 

it  seems  hard  to  explain  the  distribution  of  the  gravels  in  this  particular 
area  without  admitting  the  probability  of  glacial  action  on  these  chan- 
nels. The  Cretaceous  and  Eocene  periods  extended  over  a  period 
variously  estimated  at  from  one  million  to  five  million  j^ears,  and  during 
that  time,  previous  to  the  period  of  extensive  vulcanism,  therie  must 
have  been  many  climatic  changes,  caused  by  the  shifting  of  ocean  cur- 
rents and  pressure  areas  which  would  have  given  the  Sierras  a  climate 
similar  to  that  prevailing  at  present  in  Alaska  and  British  Columbia, 
entirely  independent  of  any  general  shift  of  the  Polar  ice  cap,  such  as 
occurred  in  Pleistocene  times. 

The  evidence  and  positive  proof  of  local  glaciation  in  this  channel  is 
so  pronounced  that  it  can  not  be  overlooked.  Discrepancies  in  bedrock 
elevations  in  the  down-stream  course  of  the  channel  may  be  in  part, 
although  not  altogether,  explained  by  the  differences  in  datum  from 
whicli  these   elevations  were   obtained;   but  the  presence  of  bedrock 


Photo  No.  32.     Characteristic  Glacier  on  Alaskan  Coast. 

fluting  and  of  single  and  double  U-shaped  channels ;  of  heaps  of  heavy 
boulders  of  varied  character  which  could  not  have  been  carried  so  far 
from  their  source  by  water  alone;  and  of  the  immense  white  quartz 
channels  in  which  all  the  metamorphic  wall-rock  has  been  ground  up 
and  transported  out  by  water;  in  which  the  grinding  would  have  been 
impractical  without  the  aid  of  ice  action ;  and  the  fact  that  the  depth 
and  width  of  these  channels  was  often  increased  irregularly ;  all  of  these 
phenomena  indicate  the  deposition  of  much  of  this  material  and  the 
hollowing  out  of  the  channels  by  local  glaciation.  At  the  present  day 
similar  phenomena  have  been  observed  by  the  writer  in  Alaska,  espe- 
cially in  the  streams  of  water  discolored  by  blue  mud,  Avhich  come  out 
from  under  the  major  glaciers  in  the  Cathedral  Mountains. 

That  water  sorting  followed  and  was  intermittent  with  this  action  is 
also  indubitable,  as  the  shingling  and  sorting  of  the  gravel  shows 
beyond  doubt  that  these  were  the  courses  of  ancient  streams.  One 
thing  may  well  be  noticed;  that  is  the  relative  elevations  of  the  lava 


GOLD   PLACERS   OF    CALIFORNIA. 


121 


and  gravel  contacts.  It  may  well  be  possible  that  a  series  of  readings 
taken  on  these  would  show  the  original  grades  of  these  streams  far 
better  than  bedrock  elevations  would,  even  when  properly  correlated. 
Somewhere  between  North  San  Juan  and  Badger  Hill  the  main 
channel  is  .joined  by  a  tributary  coming  down  from  the  north.  No 
gravel  is  noticed  in  place  on  this  tributary  until  Camptonville  is 
reached.  Here  a  wide,  deep  channel  has  been  thoroughly  worked  out. 
Above  this,  at  Galena  Hill,  at  Youngs  Hill  and  east  of  Oak  Valley,  con- 
siderable gravel  is  still  left.  The  wash  is  mostly  white  cpiartz  and  not 
particularly  heavy.  At  Jouberts  and  at  Indian  Hill  a  large  amount 
of  gravel  is  still  available  for  hydraulicking,  although  the  central 
channel  at  the  former  place  has  been  pretty  well  cleaned  out.  At 
Brandy  City  and  at  Council  Hill  are  still  large  quantities  of  gravel, 
but  the  flows  of  lava  mud,  lying  closely  on  top,  have  in  many  places 
encroached  so  heavily  on  the  gravel  that  it  does  not  pay  to  work  it. 


Photo  No.   31.     Gravel  at  Scales,   Sierra  County. 

Going   northerly    from   here    through    Union    Hill,    which    is    almost 
entirely  hydraulicked  out,  the  channel  extends  to  Scales. 

The  Brandy  City  Mine,  which  is  now  being  worked,  still  contains 
about  half  a  mile  of  unworked  ground  along  the  channel.  There  is  a 
very  heavy  top  of  volcanic  mud  and  from  fifty  to  one  hundred  fifty  feet 
of  fairly  good  gravel.  There  is  a  good  water  right  on  Canyon  Creek 
amounting  to  about  three  thousand  inches.  At  Indian  Hill  on  the  other 
side  of  the  north  fork  an  interesting  development  of  cemented  gravel 
is  seen.  Ferric-sulphate  is  still  forming  and  cementing  the  gravel  at 
the  present  time.  At  Scales,  below  the  junction  of  the  Port  Wine- 
La  Porte  branches  there  is  very  heavy  wash,  which  is  largely  inter- 
volcanic.  This  underlies  the  original  white  gi-avel  which  is  mixed  ^^-ith 
fine  andesitic  pebbles  toward  the  surface.  There  is  a  tremendous  area 
of  unworked  gravel  here.  ]\Iining  is  still  being  done  in  a  small  way, 
])Oth  hydraulicking  and  drifting.  From  Scales  on  up  the  Port  Wine 
Ridge,  the  channel  is  almost  intact  and  is  largely  virgin.  At  Mount 
Pleasant,  above  Scales,  is  the  .junction  of  the  La  Porte  and  the  Port 


122  CALIFORNIA   STATE    MINING   BUREAU. 

Wine  ehaimols.  There  are  from  sixty  to  eiglit.y  million  yards  of  gravel 
here  which  would  make  one  of  the  easiest  hydraulic  deposits  in  this 
state  to  work.  INIount  Pleasant  and  Poverty  Hill  may  be  considered  as 
one  property,  although  the  Poverty  Hill  portion  is  supposed  to  be  con- 
siderably better  gravel.  This  is  one  of  the  most  important  hydraulic 
deposits  in  the  state.  About  two  hundred  feet  in  depth  the  bank  is 
composed  of  small  white  quartz  gravel  with  an  unknown  width,  which 
is  presumably,  at  least,  half  a  mile.  The  channel  extends  for  nearly 
two  miles.  The  center  of  it  has  been  worked  for  about  half  a  mile,  but 
the  balance  is  practically  virgin.  It  is  eminently  suited  to  hydraulick- 
ing,  as  the  values  run  clear  up  to  the  top  soil  and  the  bedrock  pay,  judg- 
ing from  the  history  of  the  early  mining,  is  undoubtedly  good.  The 
Poverty  Hill  branch  of  this  channel  extends  on  up  through  Secret  dig- 
gings to  La  Porte.  Both  of  these  places  are  pretty  well  worked  out, 
and  were  among  the  richest  gravel  deposits  ever  known  in  the  State 
of  California.  Above  La  Porte  the  main  channel  is  practically  intact, 
although  some  prospecting  has  been  done  on  it  at  the  Bellevue  INIine. 
As  the  channel  at  this  point  was  continuously  crossing  a  belt  containing 
quartz  seams  and  stringers  which  were  rich  in  gold,  the  values  appear 
to  run  almost  uniformly  through  the  channel.  The  Bellevue  Mine  itself 
probably  contains  from  four  to  five  miles  of  virgin  channel,  which 
should  be  among  the  best  drift  ground  yet  remaining  in  the  State  of 
California.  Passing  under  the  Gibsonville  Ridge,  where  a  great  deal 
of  hydraulic  ground  Avas  develoj^ed  in  the  early  days,  it  continues  on 
up  to  Hepsidam  and  AVhiskey  diggings.  It  is  almost  altogether  com- 
posed of  white  quartz  gravel  wherever  it  is  exposed,  and  the  bottom 
strata  have  almost  invariably  made  excellent  drifting  ground  wher- 
ever it  has  been  tapped.  From  Hepsidam  the  channel  continues  north- 
west and  east  of  Pilot  Peak.  It  turns  sharply  to  the  east,  passes 
through  around  to  the  north  of  l^luenose  Mine  and  swings  over  on  the 
west  side  of  Nelson  Creek,  the  tributaries  of  which  have  nearly  all  been 
enriched.  From  here  on  this  channel  has  already  been  described  under 
the  Feather  River  drainage.  Another  branch  of  this  channel  comes 
down  from  the  upper  end  of  Little  Grass  Valley  and  enters  it  some- 
where in  the  Bellevue  ground,  not  far  from  the  Thistle  shaft.  The 
upper  end  of  this  channel  is  now  being  worked  at  the  McFarland  ]\Iine 
and  is  paying  very  well.  The  gold  appears  to  be  distributed  through  the 
bottom  ten  or  fifteen  feet  of  the  gravel  with  a  great  deal  of  uniformity. 
Still  higher  up,,  around  the  eastern  slope  of  Pilot  Peak,  we  have  the 
Onion  Valley  channel.  This  is  one  of  the  richest  feeders  of  the  Gibson- 
ville-La  Porte  channel  that  is  first  noted  above  Washington  Creek  near 
Golden  Gate.  From  here  it  crosses  through  the  old  Sawpit  diggings, 
where  a  portion  of  the  channel  was  faulted  dow^n  for  about  a  mile  and 
was  iiydraulicked  at  Richmond  Hill.  Richmond  Hill  was  one  of  the 
richest  hydraulic  mines  in  the  state  at  the  time  of  its  operation.  The 
whole  flat  above  Saw]nt  has  been  drifted  out,  although  the  channel  was 
pretty  well  spread  over  a  large  section  of  country  by  the  faulting. 
Passing  around  the  head  of  Weldon  Ravine  and  directly  under  the 
main  ridge  ])etween  Dixon  C'reek  and  Onion  Valley  Creek  this  channel 
is  seen  again  at  Red  Slide  Hill,  where  it  swings  around  to  the  south 
and  .joins  the  main  Gibsonville  Ridge  channel.  This  channel  has  been 
eroded  into  Dixon  Creek  and  has  enriched  it  greatly.     The  channel  is 


123 

y  ol 

l)ove 
d  be 
the 
nion 
have 
ered 
ralia 
have 
mels 
iside 
dley, 
1  the 

is  an 
.  A 
head 
arge, 
iving 
xten- 
1  the 
1  the 
ville- 
insey 
wide 
;  was 
se  of 
)uteh 
nter- 

rallel 
•d  by 
:erial 
quite 
lidge 

these 
deep 
nain- 
ed  to 
thing 
e  cut 
eked, 
for 
aville 
d  on 
king, 
el  at 
ande- 
lowa 
days 
"ising 


GOLD   PLACERS   OP    CALTFORNL\.  123 

Very  lU'ar  tlie  top  of  llic  old  (^rclaccous  divide  tind  is  evidently  of 
('i-etaeeous  aye.  Between  tlie  old  Australia  tunnel  and  the  entry  above 
Sawpit  Flat  there  is  i)robal)ly  a  mile  of  virgin  oronnd  which  should  be 
some  of  the  best  drifting?  ground  left  in  this  state,  judgin*,'  by  the 
records  of  the  old  Sawpit  and  Richmond  Hill  mines.  On  the  Onion 
Valley  side  two  tnnnels.  the  Pioneer  and  the  Weldon  Ravine,  have 
been  run  to  tap  the  channel,  but  to  date  they  have  only  encountered 
the  bench  gravels  in  raises.  On  the  Dixon  Creek  side,  the  Australia 
tunnel  has  been  driven  in  for  over  1500  feet  with  i-aises  which  have 
also  tapped  tlie  bench  gravel.  Undoubtedly  l)etwcen  these  three  tunnels 
is  a  deep  channel  which  should  pay  to  work.  Onion  Valley  itself,  aside 
from  the  main  channel,  appears  to  have  been  a  recent  glacial  valley, 
but  a  large  part  of  the  detritus  in  it  is  eroded  stream  gravel  from  the 
channel  above  mentioned. 

On  the  south  fork  of  the  Feather  River  in  Little  Grass  Valley  is  an 
area  Avhicli  appears  to  have  some  possibilities  as  dredging  ground.  A 
branch  of  the  Gibsonville  channel,  as  stated  aliove,  runs  across  the  head 
of  it  and  may  possibly  have  enriched  it.  The  Avash  is  not  very  large, 
but  there  is  too  much  water  for  drifting  operations  witliout  driving 
a  long  drain  tunnel.  This  side  of  the  ridge  has  not  been  very  exten- 
sively mined,  although  some  placer  work  was  done  lower  down  in  the 
early  days.  Apparently  three  channels  run  transversely  across  the 
valley.  The  most  easterly  is  the  north  branch  of  the  Gibsonville- 
La  Porte  channel  mentioned  above,  with  its  west  rim  near  Kinsey 
Ravine.  Farther  west  is  another  channel  several  hundred  feet  wdde 
also  running  northerly  and  southerly  on  which  the  Tombs  incline  was 
sunk  in  early  days.  Both  rims  are  well-defined  and  from  the  strike  of 
the  channel  it  appears  to  join  the  main  Gibsonville  Channel  at  Dutch 
diggings  above  La  Porte.  This  gravel  has  a  slight  proportion  of  inter- 
volcanic  pebbles. 

Still  farther  west  is  a  very  large  channel  Avhich  runs  nearly  parallel 
with  the  direction  of  the  valley.  This  has  been  slightly  prospected  by 
Keystone  drills.  It  contains  a  large  proportion  of  volcanic  material 
and  runs  out  considerably  to  the  west  of  the  other  channels.  It  is  quite 
possible  that  the  drainage  of  this  channel  is  down  the  Mooreville  Ridge 
through  the  Dodson  Mine. 

The  south  fork  of  the  Feather  River  runs  directly  across  all  these 
channels,  and  could  be  used  to  supply  water  for  hydraulicking  if  a  deep 
bedrock  cut  were  run  from  the  outlet  of  the  valley.  The  gravel  remain- 
ing under  the  first  layer  of  pipe  clay,  which  is  about  one  hundred  to 
one  hundred  fifty  feet  deep,  might  then  be  dredged  and  the  whole  thing 
later  converted  into  a  reservoir  or  power  site  or  else,  by  making  the  cut 
deep  enough  to  drain  the  valley,  the  whole  thing  might  be  hydraulicked. 

At  Gibsonville  a  large  area  of  ground  is  still  available  for 
hydraulicking.  The  same  channel  passes  on  under  the  Gibsonville 
Ridge  and  comes  out  at  Bald  Mountain.  At  Dutch  diggings  and  on 
Bald  IMountain  considerable  gravel  is  still  available  for  hydraulicking. 

Coming  back  to  the  junction  of  the  Port  Wine  Ridge  Channel  at 
jMount  Pleasant,  it  can  be  traced  to  the  northeast  under  a  lieavy  ande- 
site  cap  for  a  matter  of  about  ten  or  twelve  miles.  At  the  old  Iowa 
shaft  north  of  Mount  Pleasant  good  gravel  was  found  in  the  early  days 
but  was  not  prospected  far  on  account  of  water.    The  area  comprising 


122 

Wine  chan 
here  which 
state  to  wo 
one  proper 
siderably  1: 
deposits  in 
composed  ( 
is  presume 
two  miles, 
the  balanc( 
ing,  as  the 
ing  from  1 
Poverty  H 
gings  to  L 
and  were 
of  Calif  on 
although  & 
As  the  cha 
quartz  sea 
to  run  aim 
probably 
should  be 
California 
of  hydrau 
up  to  Hej 
posed  of 
strata  ha^ 
ever  it  ha; 
west   and 
through  a 
west  side 
enriched, 
the  Feath 
down  froi 
where  in 
upper  enc 
and  is  pa;' 
bottom  te 
Still  high 
Onion  Va 
ville-La  I 
Golden  G 
where  a  j 
was  hydr 
richest  h; 
whole  tlal 
pretty  w 
Passing  . 
main  rid: 
is  seen  a 
and  join! 
eroded  ii 


GOLD   PI>ACERS   OF    CATJFORXIA.  123 

very  near  the  top  of  tlie  old  ( "retai-roiis  divide  niid  is  evidently  of 
Cretaeeous  aiie.  P>et\veen  the  old  Australia  tunnel  and  the  entry  above 
Sawpit  Flat  there  is  i)i'ol)al)ly  a  mile  of  virgin  orroimd  which  should  be 
some  of  the  best  drifting  i^-oiind  left  in  this  state,  judging  by  the 
records  of  the  old  Sawpit  and  Richmond  Hill  mines.  On  the  Onion 
Valley  side  two  tunnels,  the  Pioneer  and  the  Weldon  Ravine,  have 
been  run  to  tap  the  channel,  but  to  date  they  have  only  encountered 
the  bench  gravels  in  raises.  On  the  Dixon  Creek  side,  the  Australia 
tunnel  has  been  driven  in  for  over  1500  feet  with  raises  which  have 
also  tapped  the  bench  gravel,  l^ndoubtedly  between  these  three  tunnels 
is  a  deep  channel  which  should  pay  to  work.  Onion  Valley  itself,  aside 
from  the  main  channel,  appears  to  have  been  a  recent  glacial  valley, 
but  a  large  part  of  tlie  detritus  in  it  is  eroded  stream  gravel  from  the 
channel  above  mentioned. 

On  the  south  fork  of  the  Feather  River  in  Little  Grass  A^alley  is  an 
area  Avhich  appears  to  have  some  possibilities  as  dredging  ground.  A 
l)ranch  of  the  Gibsonville  channel,  as  stated  above,  runs  across  the  head 
of  it  and  may  possibly  have  enriched  it.  The  wa.sh  is  not  very  large, 
but  there  is  too  much  water  for  drifting  operations  without  driving 
a  long  drain  tunnel.  This  side  of  the  ridge  has  not  been  very  exten- 
sively mined,  although  some  placer  work  was  done  lower  down  in  the 
early  days.  Apparently  three  channels  run  transversely  across  the 
valley.  The  most  easterly  is  the  north  branch  of  the  Gibsonville- 
La  Porte  channel  mentioned  above,  with  its  west  rim  near  Kinsey 
Ravine.  Farther  west  is  another  channel  several  hundred  feet  wide 
also  running  northerly  and  southerly  on  which  the  Tombs  incline  was 
sunk  in  early  days.  Both  rims  are  well-defined  and  from  the  strike  of 
the  channel  it  appears  to  join  the  main  Gibsonville  Channel  at  Dutch 
diggings  above  La  Porte.  This  gravel  has  a  slight  proportion  of  inter- 
volcanic  pebbles. 

Still  farther  west  is  a  very  large  channel  which  runs  nearly  parallel 
with  the  direction  of  the  valley.  This  has  been  slightly  prospected  by 
Keystone  drills.  It  contains  a  large  proportion  of  volcanic  material 
and  runs  out  considerably  to  the  west  of  the  other  channels.  It  is  quite 
j)0ssible  that  the  drainage  of  this  channel  is  down  the  ]\Iooreville  Ridge 
through  the  Dodson  ]\Iine. 

The  south  fork  of  the  Feather  River  runs  directly  across  all  these 
channels,  and  could  be  used  to  supply  water  for  hydraulicking  if  a  deep 
bedrock  cut  were  run  from  the  outlet  of  the  valley.  The  gravel  remain- 
ing under  the  first  layer  of  pipe  clay,  which  is  about  one  hundred  to 
one  hundred  fifty  feet  deep,  might  then  be  dredged  and  the  whole  thing 
later  converted  into  a  reservoir  or  power  site  or  else,  by  making  the  cut 
deep  enough  to  drain  the  valley,  the  whole  thing  might  be  hydraulicked. 

At  Gibsonville  a  large  area  of  ground  is  still  available  for 
hydraulicking.  The  same  channel  passes  on  under  the  Gibsonville 
Ridge  and  comes  out  at  Bald  ^Mountain.  At  Dutch  diggings  and  on 
Bald  ^Mountain  considerable  gravel  is  still  available  for  hydraulicking. 

Coming  back  to  the  junction  of  the  Port  Wine  Ridge  Channel  at 
]\rount  Pleasant,  it  can  be  traced  to  the  northeast  under  a  heavy  ande- 
site  cap  for  a  matter  of  about  ten  or  twelve  miles.  At  the  old  Iowa 
shaft  north  of  Mount  Plea-sant  good  gravel  was  found  in  the  early  days 
but  was  not  prospected  far  on  account  of  water.    The  area  comprising 


124 


CALIFORNIA   STATE    MINING   BUREAU. 


the  Poverty  Hill,  ]\loiint  Pleasant  and  Scales  deposits  pro])al)ly  eon- 
tains  about  350  million  yards  of  i?ravel.  The  Slate  Creek  Avater  could 
be  brought  down  the  Port  Wine  Kidge  and  used  to  good  effect  in  min- 
ing this  gravel.  It  would  undoubtedly  make  one  of  the  largest  and 
best  paying  hydraulic  mines  in  the  state,  although  fitting  up  would  be 
expensive  on  account  of  dump  and  drainage  problems.  Undoubtedly 
a  long  drain  tunnel  would  have  to  be  run  from  the  Slate  Creek  side  to 
the  lowest  point  in  the  channels  which  join  on  these  properties. 


Photo  No.  28. 


Basalt  intrusions  at  Tort  Wine, 
Sierra  County. 


Although  the  channel  is  more  or  less  intact  from  the  low^a  shaft  almost 
up  to  Port  Wine,  it  is  heavily  lava  capped,  and  would  probably  have  to 
be  drifted.  At  Port  AVine  there  is  an  intrusion  of  the  younger  basalt 
w^hich  is  very  interesting.  From  Port  Wine  up  to  Grass  Flat  the  channel 
is  more  or  less  exposed.  At  Gardner  Point  is  considerable  hydraulic 
gravel,  and  at  St.  Louis  is  a  very  large  body  of  gravel  which  is  appar- 
ently exceedingly  low-grade,  the  best  of  it  having  been  worked  out  by 
the  early  day  miners.  From  here  on  the  channel  passes  up  through 
Howland  Flat,  where  it  was  extensively  drifted,  and  swings  around 
under  the  andesite  at  Potosi,  breaking  out  again  at  Poker  Flat  where 
considerable  work  was  done  on  it.  There  is  a  possibility  that  the  Poker 
Flat  diggings  are  not  connected  with  Potosi,  but  that  the  drainage  was 


GOLD    PLACERS   OF    CALIFORNLV. 


125 


down  the  other  way  througli  Dc^adwood  toward  IMorristowiL  Almost 
parallelling"  the  channel,  which  extends  from  Potosi  to  Grass  Flat,  is 
another  channel  which  is  buried  deep  nnder  the  lava  at  IMoviiit  Fillmore 
and  Table  Rock.  This  channel  has  been  drifted  in  the  neighl)orhood  of 
Table  Rock  bnt  is  largely  virgin  from  here  on  down.  As  it  is  much 
narrower  than  the  Ilowland  Flat  channel  on  the  west,  it  is  quite  possible 
that  it  may  be  considerably  better  drifting  ground.     This  channel 


Photo  No.   29.     Poverty  Hill,  Sierra  Count j'. 

appears  at  the  Pioneer  ]\Iine  near  Grass  Flat,  but  instead  of  joining 
the  front  channel  and  going  down  toward  Port  Wine,  it  swings  out  to 
the  south  through  Happy  Hollow  and  MorristoMu,  where  it  is  joined  by 
a  tributary  coming  down  from  Deadwood.  From  ]\Iorristown  it  goes 
through  Craig's  Flat  to  Eureka,  where  it  will  be  discussed  later  under 
the  head  of  White  Bear  Channel. 


^ 


m 


Photo  No.  30.     Clo. 


Poverty  Hill  Gravels. 


126  CALIFORNIA   STATE    MINING   BUREAU. 

The  liccidwcttcrs  of  the  Wliitc  Boar  cluiniiel  arc  foniul  soinewhere  in 
tlic  lU'i^hhorliood  of  Dcaxhvood  Poak.  From  here  it  rims  southerly 
under  Saddh-haek  Moniitain  and  l^^'irtoj),  passiny'  through  the  Cooper 
Ranch  under  Monte  Cristo.  It  was  extensively  drifted  at  the  old  White 
Bear  Mine  above  Monte  Cristo  and  proved  exceedingly  rich.  The 
characteristic  of  the  gravel  of  this  channel  is  the  large  amount  of  white 
quartz  boulders.  From  here  the  White  Bear  channel  runs  southwesterly 
and  is  eroded  into  Goodyears  Creek  clear  down  to  Goodyears  Bar  where 
it  caused  an  extensive  enrichment.  The  upper  portion  of  Goodyears 
Creek  and  also  part  of  Eureka  Creek  were  greatly  enriched  by  a  branch 
of  this  channel  coming  down  from  Happy  Hollow  through  Morristown 
and  Eureka  as  above  stated.  The  junction  was  probably  on  Goodyears 
Creek,  a  mile  or  two  above  Goodyears  Bar.  Below  Goodyears  Bar  this 
channel  was  joined  by  a  tributary  coming  down  from  McMahons  through 
the  St.  Charles  Ranch.  From  Goodyears  Bar  it  goes  on  southwesterly 
to  the  east  of  Snowden  Hill  and  Humbug  Creek.  On  the  head  of  Little 
Humbug  Creek  the  lava  cap  was  sufficiently  removed  to  allow^  consider- 
able hydraulicking.  This  channel  crosses  Oregon  Creek  about  two  miles 
south  of  Mountain  House  and  goes  through  the  ridge  to  Kanaka  Creek. 
On  the  south  side  of  Kanaka  Creek  it  continues  through  the  ridge, 
crosses  the  middle  fork  of  the  Yul)a  River  and  swings  westward  toward 
Grizzly  Ridge.  Here  it  turns  southerly  to  enter  the  main  Columbia 
channel  somewhere  east  of  Tollhouse. 

The  channel  mentioned  under  the  Feather  River  system  as  the  McCray 
Ridge  channel  comes  down  under  the  east  side  of  Rattlesnake  Creek  and 
runs  southerly  on  the  east  side  of  Rattlesnake  Creek  and  on  the  north 
fork  of  the  North  Fork  of  the  Yuba  River.  Coming  down  the  ridge 
between  this  fork  and  the  middle  fork  it  swings  westerly  to  Monte 
Cristo  where  it  crosses  the  White  Bear  channel.  At  Monte  Cristo 
a  great  deal  of  drifting  was  done  and  the  channel  proved  exceedingly 
rich.  From  here  the  channel  flows  almost  straight  south  under  the 
ridge  M^est  of  Downieville  until  it  crosses  the  north  fork  about  two  miles 
east  of  Goodyears  Bar.  From  here  it  is  eroded  into  the  Rock  Creek 
drainage,  but  appears  again  at  the  Kirkpatrick  Mine  near  the  old  Hen- 
ness  Pass  road.  A  great  deal  of  drifting  has  been  done  upon  the  channel 
at  this  point,  and  a  large  amount  of  low-grade  gravel  uncovered.  From 
here  on  it  passes  through  Forest  and  proceeds  southward  parallel  to  the 
Alleghany  channel,  thence  swinging  southwesterly  toward  Grizzly  Ridge. 

Another  run  of  this  same  channel,  starting  on  the  ridge  between  the 
north  and  middle  forks  of  the  North  Fork,  comes  down  through  the  old 
Craycroft  Mine  and  is  eroded  directly  into  the  Yuba  River  at  Downie- 
ville. The  concentration  of  this  channel  into  the  bars  around  Downie- 
ville is  responsible  for  the  millions  of  dollars  which  were  taken  from 
this  place.  Crossing  southerly  through  Slug  Canyon,  it  is  found  again 
at  the  Ruby  Mine  and  the  old  Bald  Mountain,  where  it  was  extensively 
drifted  and  much  rich  gravel  taken  out.  Here  it  joins  the  other  channel 
a  short  way  above  Forest  City.  A  short  tributarj^  coming  down  from  the 
east  joins  it  at  this  point  also.  Still  farther  east  of  this  on  the  head  of 
Secret  Canyon  another  channel  comes  down  through  the  Pliocene  Mine, 
crosses  through  the  ridge  on  the  head  of  Little  Kanaka  Creek  and  joins 
the  Forest  channel  at  Alleghany. 

From  Alleghany  down  this  channel  was  extensively  worked  clear 
through  Chip 's  Flat  to  Minnesota  and  proved  exceedingly  rich.    Crossing 


GOLD  PLACERS  OF  CALIFORNIA.  127 

the  middle  fork  to  Orleans  from  this  point  on  down  it  was  extensively 
hydranlicked  to  Moore's  Flat.  Entering  the  ridge  again  above  Moore's 
Flat  it  crosses  the  head  of  Bloody  Run,  and  comes  through  west  of 
Backbone  House  into  the  old  Malakoff  diggings  where  it  is  now  being 
drifted  by  a  local  company.  From  the  old  Derbec  Mine  immediately 
above  North  Bloomfield  a  channel  can  be  traced  through  the  northern 
edge  of  Relief  Hill  up  by  Snow  Point  where  it  crosses  the  middle  fork 
of  the  Yuba  River.  From  here  on  up  to  American  Hill  there  is  still 
some  virgin  drift  ground.  Two  tributaries  enter  this  channel  on  the 
east  and  west  sides  of  the  camp  of  American  Hill.  From  American 
Hill  toward  the  northeast  this  channel  can  be  traced  through  the  lava 
capped  ridge  on  the  north  side  of  the  middle  fork  clear  up  to  Milton. 
At  Milton  a  fair  sized  body  of  hydraulic  ground  was  formed  from  the 
erosion  of  this  channel.  From  Milton  it  can  be  traced  northerly  to  the 
Hilda  Mine  southwest  of  Milton  Creek,  and  it  is  again  picked  up  on 
the  opposite  side  of  the  north  fork  at  the  Thousand  and  One  Mine.  A 
branch  coming  in  from  the  Deer  Creek  drainage  meets  it  at  this  point. 
The  main  channel  goes  along  the  ridge  west  of  Williams  Creek,  cross- 
ing the  north  fork  of  the  North  Fork  below  Bassett's.  Erosion  from 
this  channel  on  Williams  Creek  has  created  a  very  promising  body  of 
hydraulic  gravel.  Followdng  up  Sardine  Creek,  where  it  is  mostly 
eroded,  this  channel  is  again  picked  up  below  Gold  Lake.  At  this 
point  the  channel  crosses  a  pocket  belt  which  has  greatly  enriched  it. 
Above  here  it  is  .joined  by  a  tributary  running  westerly  from  the 
Haskell  Peak  region.  The  main  channel  crosses  through  Church 
]\Ieadows,  northwesterly  by  Gold  Lake  toward  Mt.  Elwell.  From  here 
its  course  is  rather  uncertain,  as  it  was  undoubtedly  affected,  so  far  as 
elevations  are  concerned,  by  the  dropping  down  of  the  Mohawk  Valley. 
Judging  by  the  enrichment  on  Jamison  Creek  and  by  the  exposures 
above  the  Little  Jamison  Mine,  it  is  probable  that  its  course  up  stream 
was  in  a  northerly  direction  for  a  matter  of  seven  or  eight  miles. 

On  this  channel  much  margin  ground  remains  to  be  drifted  all  the 
way  from  Mt.  Elwell  down  to  American  Hill.  It  is  possilile  that  some 
of  the  gravel  may  be  worth  while  drifting,  but  tlie  pay  is  exceedingly 
irregular  and  very  spotty. 

A  northward  flowing  tributary  on  the  east  side  of  English  ^Mountain 
and  Findley  Peak  joins  this  channel  near  Milton  but  is  of  no  economic 
importance. 

Below  Snow  Point  this  channel  is  joined  by  a  branch  which  comes 
down  from  Pinoli  Peak  through  the  granite  belt  north  of  Graniteville. 
This  is  joined  by  another  tributarj^  from  Bowman  Lake.  Gravel  in  tliis 
channel  is  practically  all  granitic  wash  and  will  probably  not  pay  to 
drift.  This  channel  can  be  traced  through  Shands  down  to  Relief  Hill, 
where  it  is  joined  by  another  minor  tributary  which  parallels  it  on 
the  south.    None  of  these  latter  channels  are  of  economic  importance. 

From  North  Bloomfield  east  a  very  important  channel  passes  through 
Relief,  where  it  has  been  extensively  hydraulickod  and  considerable 
hydraulic  gravel  remains.  Following  southeasterly  from  Relief,  the 
channel  has  been  eroded  by  the  south  fork  of  the  Yuba  but  can  be 
picked  up  again  at  Alpha.  From  here  on  its  course  through  Omega  can 
be  followed  by  immense  bodies  of  hydraulic  gravel.  From  Omega  it 
follows  the  head  of  Diamond  Creek  and  crosses  the  south  fork  of  the 

9—28603 


128  CALIFORNIA    STATE    MINING   BUREAU. 

Yuba  again  at  Langs,  wiiere  it  can  be  traced  up  to  Zion  ITill.  This 
channel  is  joined  by  auotlier  tributary  coming  through  Lake  Valley 
north  of  Emigrant  Gap. 

At  North  Columbia  this  main  system  of  channels  is  joined  by  an 
equally  large  tributary  -which  comes  from  the  south  by  way  of  Grizzly 
Canyon.  This  channel,  in  the  extent  of  its  drainage,  is  probably  quite 
as  large  and  quite  as  important  as  any  of  the  northern  ones.  Follow- 
ing up  the  stream  in  a  southerly  direction  tremendous  masses  of  low- 
grade  hydraulic  gravel  are  encountered  near  Blue  Tent  and  on  the 
Rock  Creek  drainage.  Apparently  one  branch  of  this  channel  passed 
through  Scott's  Flat  to  Quaker  Hill.  There  is  an  enormous  mass  of 
low-grade  gravel  at  Scott's  Flat.  The  other  branch  of  the  channel 
passed  through  Galbraith  and  crossed  above  the  nortli  and  south  forks 
of  Deer  Creek.  Below  this  the}^  were  joined  by  an  unimportant  south- 
ward flowing  tributary.  Joining  the  course  of  the  old  channel  again 
at  Quaker  Hill  enormous  masses  of  hydraulic  gravel  are  again  devel- 
oped. Presumably,  in  the  area  from  Scott's  Flat  to  Gold  Run  there 
is  in  the  neighborhood  of  a  billion  yards  of  gravel.  At  Hunt's  Hill, 
Red  Dog  and  You  Bet  extensive  mining  operations  were  carried  on 
in  the  early  days,  but  a  tremendous  amount  of  gravel  still  remains  to 
be  developed.  Coming  up  from  Tollhouse  above  Colfax  a  tributary, 
which  has  mostly  eroded  into  the  Bear  River,  joins  this  channel  near 
Little  York.  The  main  channel,  however,  swung  easterly  to  Dutch 
Flat  and  southerly  through  Gold  Run. 

In  connection  with  the  effect  of  this  channel  upon  the  enrichment  of 
Bear  River,  it  may  be  stated  that  the  liA'draulic  operations  of  Green- 
horn Creek  and  the  main  Bear  River  have  produced  a  tremendous  mass 
of  tailings  which  have  been  variously  estimated  to  still  contain  from  20 
to  40  cents  a  yard  in  value.  Several  years  ago  a  report  on  this  subject 
was  made  by  two  or  three  of  the  most  prominent  engineers  of  the  time, 
in  M'hicli  recommendations  were  made  for  a  tunnel  which  was  to  be 
driven  through  from  Bear  River  below  the  junction  of  Greenhorn  Creek 
to  Secret  Canyon,  a  tributary  of  the  American. 

The  idea  of  this  project  was  to  permit  the  working  of  the  enormous 
accumulation  of  tailings  on  Bear  River  and,  on  account  of  the  differ- 
ence in  elevation  ])etween  the  bed  of  Bear  River  and  that  of  the  north 
fork  of  the  American,  to  thus  create  a  dump  which  would  permit  of 
the  disposal  of  the  tailings  in  their  reworking..  This  project  was  after- 
ward abandoned,  doubtless  because  it  could  not  be  satisfactorily  proved 
whether  the  value  in  the  tailings  were  sufficiently  great  to  permit  of  a 
profit  in  the  operation.  A  map  sho-^ang  the  location  of  the  principal 
properties  in  the  neighborhood  of  Dutch  Flat,  Red  Dog,  Little  York 
and  You  Bet  is  herewith  included.  This  map  also  shows  the  location  of 
this  proposed  tunnel  for  reworking  Bear  River  tailings. 

The  lower  reaches  of  Bear  River,  especially  in  tlie  rolling  land  above 
Wheatland,  have  resulted  in  the  concentration  of  a  certain  amount  of 
delta  gravel,  which  was  worked  in  the  early  days  for  many  years  with 
satisfactory  results.  Some  unsuccessful  dredging  has  been  done  on  the 
lower  reaches.  Owing  to  the  lack  of  Avater,  most  of  this  work  was  done 
by  means  of  rockers  and  short  sluices  immediately  after  and  during 
the  rainy  season.  For  many  years  some  of  the  old-time  prospectors 
have  been  working  the  short  turns  and  bars  of  the  Lower  Bear  River 


129 

»n  of 
Flat 
st   a 

gton 
ary ; 
'here 
from 
el  is 
aced 
yon, 
)ther 
this 
k  of 

yta. 

lerly 
:the 
s  of 
'rom 
Hill, 
are 
unel 
con- 
car- 
dtu- 
•iod, 

ame 
igan 
;   to 

3    to 

and 
the 

Lilly 
ame 

aw 
.  of 
3wn 
ter- 
illel 
lill. 
was 
be 
son 
the 
vey 
!  to 
1  it 
/els 


GOLD  PLACERS  OF  CALIP^ORNIA.  129 

for  the  fine  i^old  wliicli  is  aniuially  hrou^ht  down  from  tlie  erosion  ol! 
the  south  fork  of  the  Neocene  Yul)a  in  the  neighborhood  of  Dutch  Flat 
and  Greenhorn  Creek.  This  area  undoubtedly  contains  at  least  a 
billion  yards  of  economically  workable  gravel. 

At  Dutch  Flat  this  cliannel  is  joined  by  a  tributary  from  Remington 
Hill  through  Lowell  Hill,  where  it  is  joined  by  a  minor  tributary; 
thence  through  Liberty  Hill  and  the  Polar  Star  to  Dutch  Flat.  There 
is  still  a  tremendous  amount  of  good  hydraulic  gravel,  ranging  from 
10  to  25  cents  a  yard,  on  this  channel.  At  Dutch  Flat  tliis  channel  is 
also  joined  by  what  is  known  as  the  Alta  channel.  This  can  be  traced 
along  the  line  of  the  Southern  Pacific  Railway  clear  to  Blue  Canyon, 
where  there  is  a  very  considerable  body  of  hydraulic  gravel.  Another 
branch  comes  down  from  Texas  Hill  through  Shady  Run  and  .joins  this 
channel.  Still  another  minor  branch  comes  across  the  north  fork  of 
the  American  River  through  p]uchre  Bar  and  joins  tliis  channel  at  Alta. 
Following  the  course  of  the  main  channel  from  Gold  Run  southerly 
through  Wisconsin  and  Indiana  Hill  and,  crossing  the  north  fork  of  the 
American  River,  it  appears  again  in  the  form  of  immense  masses  of 
hydraulic  gravel  at  Iowa  Hill.  It  is  here  joined  by  a  tributary  from 
Succor  Flat  through  Monona  Flat  and  Roach  Hill.  At  Iowa  Hill, 
extending  southerly  through  the  branches  of  Shirttail  Canyon,  are 
still  tremendous  bodies  of  hydraulic  gravel.  From  here  on  the  channel 
can  be  traced  southerly  through  Yankee  Jim,  where  there  is  still  con- 
siderable hydraulic  gravel  and  where  drifting  operations  are  now  car- 
ried on.  From  Forest  Hill  on,  this  channel  presents  a  most  baffling  situ- 
ation, due  to  the  tilting  movements  at  the  close  of  the  Eocene  period, 
which  gradually  changed  the  direction  of  flow. 

The  original  system,  working  upward  from  Yankee  Jim,  came 
through  the  Dardenelles  and  Forest  Hill  by  way  of  Bath  to  IMicliigan 
Bluff  and  up  through  Turkey  Hill  and  the  Hidden  Treasure  to 
Damascus  aiul  Red  Point;  tlience  extending  aroiuid  l)y  AVestville  to 
Secret  Canyon. 

Another  brancli,  whicli  has  been  greatly  eroded  l)y  the  American  and 
Rul)icon  rivers,  runs  northeast  to  Devils  Peak  and  across  through  tlic 
Ralston  Divide. 

The  lower  reaches  of  the  middle  American  have  been  successfully 
dredged,  ])ut  are  now  worked  out.  Tlie  enrichment  undoubtedly  came 
from  the  erosion  of  this  system. 

At  the  close  of  the  Eocene  period,  with  the  beginning  of  the  heavy 
rhyolite  flows,  this  distri])ution  was  materially  changed.  Instead  of 
going  north  by  way  of  Yankee  Jim 's  the  channel  turns  southwest  down 
the  present  middle  fork,  where  it  has  been  greatly  eroded.  An  inter- 
volcanic  channel  appears  on  the  Ralston  Divide  and  numerous  parallel 
ones  below  it,  all  converging  towards  Todds  Valley  and  Peckham  Hill. 

A  careful  study  of  this  region,  made  by  the  writer  during  1922,  was 
published  in  the  October  issue  of  'Mining  in  California,'  and  Avill  be 
quoted  bodily  herewith.  In  many  respects  tlie  writer  has  found  reason 
to  differ  with  the  channel  system  as  quoted  in  the  Colfax  folio  of  the 
U.  S.  Geological  Survey.  In  the  main,  however,  the  work  of  the  Survey 
has  l)een  so  thorough  and  so  painstaking  that  it  seems  of  little  use  to 
revamp  any  of  the  information  contained  therein.  For  this  reason  it 
seems  best  to  quote  also  from  the  report  upon  the  auriferous  gravels 


128 

Yuba  again 

channel  is 

north  of  Er 

At  North 

equally  lar^ 

Canyon.    T 

as  large  ani 

ing  up  the 

grade  hyclr 

Rock  Creek 

through  Se 

low-grade  j 

passed  thro 

of  Deer  Cr( 

ward  flowi] 

at  Quaker 

oped.     Pre: 

is  in  the  n 

Red  Dog  £ 

in  the  earl; 

be  develop! 

which  has 

Little  Yor] 

Flat  and  s 

In  conne 

Bear  Rivei 

horn  Creels 

of  tailings 

to  40  cents 

was  made  1 

in  w^hicli  i 

driven  thr( 

to  Secret  C 

The  ide? 

aceumulati 

ence  in  ele 

fork  of  th 

the  disposi 

w^ard  aban 

whether  tl 

profit  in  t 

properties 

and  You  I 

this  propc 

The  low 

Wheatlani 

delta  gra\ 

satisfactoi 

lower  reac 

by  means 

the  rainy 

have  been 


GOiiD  PliACERS  OP  catjfornia.  129 

for  the  fmc  oold  wliicli  is  annually  l)r()uglit  down  from  the  (3rosion  of 
the  south  fork  of  the  Neocene  Yu1)h  in  the  neighborliood  of  Dutch  Flat 
and  Greenhorn  Creek.  This  area  undoubtedly  contains  at  least  a 
billion  yards  of  economically  workable  gravel. 

At  Dutch  Flat  this  channel  is  joined  by  a  tributary  from  Remington 
Hill  through  Lowell  Hill,  where  it  is  joined  by  a  minor  tributary; 
thence  through  Liberty  Hill  and  the  Polar  Star  to  Dutch  Flat.  There 
is  still  a  tremendous  amount  of  good  hydraulic  gravel,  ranging  from 
10  to  25  cents  a  yard,  on  this  channel.  At  Dutch  Flat  this  channel  is 
also  joined  by  Avhat  is  known  as  the  Alta  channel.  This  can  be  traced 
along  the  line  of  the  Southern  Pacific  Railway  clear  to  Blue  Canyon, 
where  there  is  a  very  considerable  body  of  hydraulic  gravel.  Another 
branch  comes  down  from  Texas  Hill  through  Shady  Run  and  .joins  this 
channel.  Still  another  minor  branch  comes  across  the  north  fork  of 
the  American  River  through  Euchre  Bar  and  joins  this  channel  at  Alta. 
Following  the  course  of  the  main  channel  from  Gold  Run  southerly 
through  Wisconsin  and  Indiana  Hill  and,  crossing  the  north  fork  of  the 
American  River,  it  appears  again  in  the  form  of  immense  masses  of 
hydraulic  gravel  at  Iowa  Hill.  It  is  here  joined  by  a  tributary  from 
Succor  Flat  through  Monona  Flat  and  Roach  Hill.  At  Iowa  Hill, 
extending  southerly  through  the  branches  of  Shirttail  Canyon,  are 
still  tremendous  bodies  of  hydraulic  gravel.  From  here  on  the  channel 
can  be  traced  southerly  through  Yankee  Jim,  where  there  is  still  con- 
siderable hydraulic  gravel  and  where  drifting  operations  are  now  car- 
ried on.  From  Forest  Hill  on,  this  channel  presents  a  most  baffling  situ- 
ation, due  to  the  tilting  movements  at  the  close  of  the  Eocene  period, 
which  gradually  changed  the  direction  of  flow. 

The  original  system,  Avorking  upward  from  Yankee  Jim,  came 
through  the  Dardenelles  and  Forest  Hill  by  way  of  Bath  to  Michigan 
Bluff  and  up  through  Turkey  Ilill  and  the  Hidden  Treasure  to 
Damascus  and  Red  Point;  thence  extending  around  by  A\^(»stville  to 
Secret  Canyon. 

Another  branch,  which  lias  l)een  greatly  eroded  by  the  American  and 
Rubicon  rivers,  runs  northeast  to  Devils  Peak  and  across  through  the 
Ralston  Divide. 

The  lower  reaches  of  the  middle  American  have  been  successfully 
dredged,  but  are  now  worked  out.  The  enrichment  undoul)tedly  came 
from  the  erosion  of  this  system. 

At  the  close  of  the  Eocene  period,  with  the  beginning  of  the  heavy 
rhyolite  flows,  this  distribution  was  materially  changed.  Instead  of 
going  north  by  way  of  Yankee  Jim 's  the  channel  turns  southwest  down 
the  present  middle  fork,  where  it  has  been  greatly  eroded.  An  inter- 
volcanic  channel  appears  on  the  Ralston  Divide  and  numerous  parallel 
ones  below  it,  all  converging  towards  Todds  Valley  and  Peckham  Hill. 

A  careful  study  of  this  region,  made  by  the  writer  during  1922,  was 
])ublished  in  the  October  issue  of  ']\Iining  in  California,'  and  Avill  be 
quoted  bodily  herewith.  In  many  respects  the  writer  has  found  reason 
to  dift'er  with  the  cliannel  system  as  quoted  in  the  Colfax  folio  of  the 
U.  S.  Geological  Survey.  In  the  main,  however,  the  work  of  the  Survey 
has  been  so  thorough  and  so  painstaking  that  it  seems  of  little  use  to 
revamp  any  of  the  information  contained  therein.  For  this  reason  it 
seems  best  to  quote  also  from  tlie  report  upon  the  auriferous  gravels 


130  CALIFORNIA  STATE   MINING  BURfeAtJ. 

given  in  the  Colfax  folio.     F()llo^\■ing  is  the  quotation  from  'Mining 
in  California:' 

"From  both  tlici  historical  and  the  economic  standcoint,  the  buried  channels  of  what 
may  be  termed  the  Cretaceous-Eocene  south  fork  of  the  ancient  river  system  which 
drained  the  major  portion  of  the  present  American  and  Yuba  rivers  territory,  are 
among  the  most  important  in  the  state. 

"From  Yanlvee  Jim  on  northwesterly,  through  Iowa  Hill  and  Dutch  Flat  to  its 
junction  with  the  north  fork  at  Columbia,  the  course  of  this  channel  is  well  defined, 
and  admits  of  little  argument.  From  Yankee  Jim  east,  however,  there  is  a  vast 
difference  of  opinion  with  regard  to  the  correlation  of  this  stream  and  its  tributaries. 

■'This  is  largely  due  to  the  change  in  drainage  of  the  system  which  occurred  toward 
the  close  of  the  Eocene  period  and  contemporaneously  with  the  earlier  rhyolite  flows. 
It  seems  undoubtedly  to  be  the  case  that  a  large  block  of  the  western  slope  of  the 
Sierras  was  tilted  and  dropped  at  this  time,  and  comparatively  abruptly  ;  because  a 
drainage  was  established  toward  the  southwest,  and  appro-Kimately  down  the  course 
of  the  present  middle  fork  of  the  American,  along  lines  which  It  retains  to  this  day ; 
although  a  gradual  subsequent  uplift  dtiring  Quaternary  time  has  altered  the  course 
of  present  day  streams,  and  heavy  erosion  has  taken  place.  Coincident  with,  and 
immediately  following  upon,  this  shift,  new  channels  were  cut.  The  flows  of  lava 
pouring  down  the  western  slope  at  intervals,  in  part  following  the  old  stream  beds 
and  in  part  obliterating  them  and  transporting  tlieir  contents  to  other  courses ;  the 
dams  of  volcanic  asli  temporarily  created  and  later  released  like  tremendous  'self- 
shooters,'  with  all  the  volume  of  pent-up  torrents  behind  them  to  cut  new  courses; 
and  the  comparatively  quiescent  periods  between  lava  flows  when  the  new  streams 
pursued,  perhaps  for  thousands  of  years  at  a  time,  new  and  wandering  courses,  dis- 
tributing both  new  and  ancient  wash  according  as  they  were  cutting  lava  or  ancient 
stream  beds ;  all  of  these  influences  combine  to  produce  perhaps  a  unique  condition, 
and  certainly  one  of  the  most  puzzling  and  complex  situations  with  which  the  gravel 
miner  has  ever  had  to  contend. 

"In  working  out  this  system,  it  is  absolutely  necessary  to  make  one  sharp  distinction 
primarily  ;  that  between  the  tributaries  of  the  old  Cretaceous-Eocene,  northward  flow- 
ing stream,  and  those  of  the  post-Eocene,  southwesterly  course. 

"In  doing  this,  it  is  impossible  to  correlate  exactly.  Drainage  lines  as  followed  out 
may  not  have  been  contemporaneous  by  a  matter  of  a  thousand  years,  or  even  several 
thousands  ;  but  along  broad  general  lines,  it  seems  peifectly  clear  that  the  system  is 
well  established. 

"To  begin  wuth  the  larevolcanic  system.  Following  upstream  from  Y'ankee  Jim 
through  Forest  Hill,  Mayflower  and  Bath  to  Michigan  Bluff,  we  have  an  important 
tributary  coming  down  from  the  north  which  we  may  follow  up  through  Gas  Hill, 
Turkey  Hill,  Hidden  Treasure  and  Sunny  South  to  Damascus  and  Humbug  Bar,  with 
a  tributary  coming  in  by  way  of  Red  Point  which  may  be  traced  below  Westville  clear 
up  to  the  head  of  Secret  Canyon.  This  evidently  had  a  divided  course  at  a  later  period, 
crossing  over  through  Black  Canyon  and  being;  joined  by  a  tributary  from  Whiskey 
Hill,  and  later  resuming  its  course  near  Westville.  Another  tributary  to  the  Hidden 
Treasure  branch  came  in  by  way  of  Deadwood.  This  in  turn  may  be  traced  through 
Last  Chance,  American  Hill  and  north  of  Antone  Canyon  up  to  Canada  Hill  and  Sailor 
Ravine. 

"Coming  back  to  the  junction  at  Bath,  we  have  the  old  Breece  and  Wheeler  channel. 
For  some  distance  this  has  been  eroded  ;  but  in  general  it  followed  the  middle  fork  to 
the  Rubicon  and  up  Long  Canyon  nearly  to  Wallace,  where  it  crossed  to  the  south 
side  and  goes  through  what  is  now  Nevada  Point  to  Little  Grizzly ;  thence  up  Pigeon 
Roost  to  the  eastern  .slope  of  Devils  Peak,  where  it  is  very  deeply  buried  under  sub- 
sequent lava ;  thence  through  and  across  the  upper  portion  of  Long  and  Wallace 
canyons  to  the  northeast  side  of  Jerry's  Canyon,  where  it  went  through  the  Ralston 
Divide  and  its  entrance  may  be  seen  above  the  Little  Crater.  From  Jerry's  Canyon 
on  down  another  run  of  this  same  channel  may  be  traced  around  Blacksmith  Flat  by 
way  of  the  old  Clydesdale  over  to  the  Nevada  Point  side,  where  it  joins  the  old  course. 
Following  up  from  Little  Crater,  it  crosses  the  middle  fork  to  Duncan  Creek,  where  it 
is  joined  by  two  tributaries :  the  Blue  Eyes,  coming  down  from  Deep  Canyon  ;  and  the 
Glen,  coming  down  from  Flat  Ravine.  Continuing  north  through  the  Hard  Climb  to 
Chalk  Bluffs,  it  goes  up  the  middle  fork  toward  Castle  Peak. 

"Again  coming  back  to  a  junction  southwest  of  Bath,  we  have  another  major  fork. 
Crossing  in  a  southerly  direction  near  Volcanoville.  we  follow  it  upstream  southeasterly 
toward  Twelve  Mile  House  and  along  the  Georgetown  Divide  through  Fornis  Ranch, 
across  Pilot  Creek  to  Eleven  Pines,  and  on  the  south  side  of  the  Rubicon  through  Uncle 
Tom's  and  thence  easterly  and  northerly  by  way  of  Mount  Mildred  to  Tahoe.  A 
tributary  comes  from  the  southwest  near  Robb's  Peak  and  joins  this  near  the  eastern 
edge  of  the  Placerville  quadrangle. 

"South  of  this  area,  we  have  tributaries  running  into  another  great  stream,  which 
was  at  this  time  the  equivalent  of  the  present  south  fork  of  the  American,  with  regard 
to  territory  drained.  Commencing  near  the  head  of  Rock  Creek  and  also  the  head  of 
Silver  Creek  we  have  two  channels  which  drained  southerly,  and  are  almost  eroded 
except  for  fragmentary  patches  until  we  get  to  WHiite  Rock  Canyon  and  to  Badger 
Hill,  respectively.     Their  relation  to  the  intervolcanic  streams  will  he  shown  later. 

"Such  was  the  general  situation  during  Cretaceous  and  Eocene  times.  These  chan- 
nels had  planed  down  the  metamorphic  rocks  of  the  Sierras  for  probably  a  million 
years  or  more.  In  their  beds  was  the  source  of  most  of  the  present  day  enrichment 
of  the  placers  of  this  portion  of  the  Sierras.  Like  gigantic  sluice  boxes  they  stretched 
their  shining  lengths  over  the  rolling  foothills  of  the  Sierras,  wending  their  way 
toward  the  northward  flowing  tributary  of  the  Cretaceous  Yuba,  and  contributing  to 
the  enormous  masses  of  gravel  already  deposited  in  the  glacier-hewn  channels  of  what 
is  now  Quaker  Hill  and  Blue  Tent.  "VX'henever  these  streams  crossed  a  rich  pocket 
and  seam  area,  like  that  running  northerly  through  Georgetown  and  Michigan  Bluff, 
they  were  enormously  enriched ;  but  the  heavy  gold  gained  from  these  areas  did  not 


GOLD    PLACERS   OF    CAL1F0RNL\.  131 

travel  far  and  hence  these  channels  were,  like  those  nE  the  present  day,  extremely 
spottv.     The  fine  gold  was  far  more  generally  distributed.  ^     *  *,      i    ♦» 

"The  beginning  of  the  era  of  intensive  vulcanism  is  generally  placed  at  the  lattei 
end  of  the  Eocene  period.  Tiie  first  manifestations  of  it  were  extensive  sh9wers  of 
volcanic  ash  and  pumice,  which  coated  the  flanks  of  the  Sierras  for  many  feet  in  depth. 
Probably  the  source  of  these  eruptions  can  be  traced  to  two  or  three  vents  ;  and  from 
the  present  topography  it  is  rather  hard  to  estimate  their  positions.  These  vents 
covered  the  Cretaceous  summit  of  the  Sierras  and  its  flanks  for  over  a  hundred  miles 
in  length  with  a  mass  of  steaming  mud  and  lava.  .         .^ 

•'As  the  thick  coating  of  ash  was  gathered  up  by  the  tributaries  of  the  region,  it 
collected  in  enormous  masses  alone  the  main  channels,  causing  them  to  dam  ud  and 
change  their  courses.  Then  came  the  first  flows  of  rhvolite,  and  a  period  of  compara- 
tive quiescence  for  a  few  thousand  vears.  New  cement  channels  were  formed,  cutting 
the  old  ones  and  changing  the  drainage  lines;  but  in  general  the  course  of  the  drainage 
was  the  same.  j.       ^,  .*,. 

"Next  came  the  enormous  eruptions  of  rhyolite  and  other  acid  lavas,  together  with 
the  older  basalts  on  the  north.  Pouring  down  the  mountain  sides  in  slow-moving 
masses,  converting  whole  rivers  into  steam  and  causing  tremendous  explosions  along 
their  flanks  and  beneath  the  viscous  masses,  they  cooled  and  solidified,  raising  the 
enormous  rock  masses  that  we  now  know  as  the  Ralston  Divide,  the  Nevada  Point,  and 
the  Georgetown  Divide,  which  were  greatly  increased  in  their  relief  by  the  later  erosion 
of  Quaternary  streams.  Coincident  with  this  came  the  dropping  down  of  the  area 
south  and  west  of  the  present  middle  fork  of  the  American.  A  new  drainage  to  the 
ocean  was  established  in  a  relatively  short  time:  the  then  shore  line  being  at  the  edge 
of  the  Sierras,  and  the  diversion  point  being  somewhere  near  the  Dardanelles. 

"Intermittently,  then,  wa.s  created  a  whole  new  system  of  Tertiary  streams,  which 
may  well  be  terrned  the  sluice  robbers  of  that  and  even  of  a  later  period. 

"The  effects  of  this  sudden  change  are  well  shown  at  Todils  Valley.  Enormous 
masses  of  rhyolite  lava,  alternating  with  flows  of  steaming,  viscid  mud.  tore  down  the 
old  courses  of  the  white  quartz  and  metamorphic  channels  and  picked  up  their  con- 
tents bodily  until,  losing  their  grade  and  their  momentum,  they  deposited  them  in  this 
flat  space.  Quaternary  erosion  did  the  rest,  the  gold  concentrated,  and  the  result  was 
the  enrichment  of  Todds  Valley.  The  gold  originally  lay  in  the  channels  of  the  old 
Cretaceous  river ;  but  these  sluice  robbers  picked  it  up  and  redeposited  it.  Another 
similar  drainage  was  estabhshed  by  way  of  Peckham  Hill.  Passing  east  through 
Volcanoville,  we  can  follow  another  stream  of  this  system  which  is  joined  by  a  tribu- 
tary coming  down  the  Ralston  Divide.  This  latter  nicked  up  its  enrichment  from  the 
crossing  of  the  old  channel  near  and  below  the  Goggin  diggings.  Gathering  some 
legitimate  enrichment  in  crossing  the  pocket  belt,  but  for  the  most  part  containing 
what  gold  it  had  taken  from  the  older  channel,  this  meets  the  Volcanoville  Tertiary, 
which  heads  somewhere  east  of  Bacchis.  Together  they  form  a  larger  channel  which 
crosses  Otter  Creek  to  Gravel  Hill  and  Jones  Hill,  and  on  into  the  present  middle 
fork,  where  they  were  in  turn  eroded.  At  .Tones  Hill,  or  near  there,  this  main  channel 
is  joined  by  another  Tertiary  stream  wliich  comes  down  from  Seven  Mile  House 
through  Bottle  Hill.  This  also  has  another  course  through  Three  Mile  House  and 
southwest  of  the  Georgia  Slide,  where  it  doubtless  picked  up  some  legitimate,  primary 
enrichment.  The  Ralston  Divide  branch  also  had  another  tributary  which  later  buried 
Nevada  Point  under  a  tremendous  lava  flow. 

"To  the  southward,  via  Kentucky  Flat,  Tiedemenn's,  and  Tipton  Hill,  still  further 
flows  of  volcanic  mud  and  ash.  as  well  as  rhyolitic  lava,  poured  down  the  Rock  Creek 
drainage  toward  Placerville.  Later,  this  channel,  both  in  its  Cretaceous  and  Tertiary 
form,  was  erorled  by  Rock  Creek  between  Tipton  Hill  and  White  Rock  Canyon.  A 
few  traces  of  the  gravel  remain  on  widely  separated  points.  The  same  condition  was 
duplicated  both  as  to  formation  and  erosion  by  Silver  Creek  in  the  channel  which  came 
down  from  Eleven  Pines  by  way  of  Mundy's  and  McManus  to  Badger  Hill. 

"While  these  Tertiary  channels  may  have  accumulated  a  little  gold  for  themselves, 
in  the  main  they  secured  what  wealth  they  have  from  their  crossing  and  intermin.gling 
with  the  older  Cretaceous  drainage  already  described.  In  the  main,  they  do  not  pay 
to  drift,  excent  near  the  sources  of  their  enrichment :  and  often  they  do  not  pay  to 
hydraulic.  They  are  marked  by  a  heterogeneous  collection  of  quartz  and  metamorphic 
gravels  robbed  from  the  older  streams,  and  by  rhyolite  boulders  and  ash,  as  well  as 
intermittent  solid  rhyolite  flows. 

"The  principal  one  of  these  channels  was  undoubtedly  the  Ralston  Divide-Volcano- 
ville  ;  .and  up  near  the  Goggin  diggings,  where  it  more  or  less  conformed  to  the  old 
drainase.  there  was  ,a  fair,  if  somewhat  spott.v.  gold  content.  Aarain  at  the  Ralston 
i^it.  whe'-e  it  mav  have  caught  a  northerlv  swing  of  the  old  channel  over  tow.ard 
Bru.shy  Creek,  before  the  piling  up  of  the  main  lava  flow,  and  stripped  the  same,  there 
appears  to  have  resulted  some  enrichment.  Again.  we«t  of  Volcanoville.  this  channel 
has  been  enriched  by  crossing  another  of  the  old  channels.  This  enrichment  continues 
all  thp  way  to  .Tones  Hill,  where  there  was  good  hydraulic  ground. 

"Wherever  the  modern  rivfrs  crossed  and  reconcentrated  the  Tertiary  channels, 
there  was  little  relative  enrichment  :  but  wherever  they  crossed  the  channels  of  the 
old  Cretaceous  system,  as  at  Horse.shoe  Bar,  the  enrichment  appears  to  have  been  the 
greatest." 

The  following  is  quoted  from  the  Colfax  folio  of  the  U.  S.  Geological 
Survey : 

"Auriferous    Gravels. 

"Neocene  i»ie-volcaiii':  giavels. — Along  Oregon  Orepk  se\eral  bodies  of  eravel  are 
exposed,  lying  on  flat  benches  sometimes  less  than  100  feet  above  the  stream.  The 
gravels  at  Tippecanoe  are  100  feet  thick  and  consist  of  quartz  and  chert  pebbles,  often 
imperfectly  washed.  They  contain  no  volcanic  rocks.  The  course  of  the  Neocene 
stream  must,  as  shown  by  bedrock  relations,  have  followed  the  present  Oregon  Creek. 


l;}2  CAIilKOliNIA    STATE    MINING    J'.UHEAIJ. 

Tile  gravel  at  Keinargis  and  CJale.s  diggings,  2  miles  fartlicr  up  llie  ereek,  is  siinUar. 
At  Tippecanoe  a  few  acres  have  been  hyilraulicked,  and  some  work  lias  also  been  done 
at  (Jales  :  tiu"  gravel  is  liere  50  feet  thick  and  is  covered  with  30  feet  of  pipe  clay. 
Small  bodies  of  gravel  crop  near  Nelson  mill,  and  below  the  andesitu  one  mile  east  of 
Plum  Valley.  A  sharply  defined  channel  containing  little  if  any  gravel  is  noted  at 
Daneckes  tunnel,  2  J  miles  northwest  of  Tippecanoe.  This  Neocene  gulch  probably 
di'ained  northward. 

"A  junction  of  two  important  streams  took  place  near  North  Columbia,  and  here 
the  auriferous  gravels  are  developed  to  a  greater  extent  than  at  any  other  place.  In 
the  Smartsville  quadrangle  there  is  a  large  area  of  gravel  extending  from  Badger  Hill 
to  the  limit  of  the  quadrangle.  This  is  continued  in  this  quadrangle  as  far  east  as 
North  Bloomfield,  covering  about  8  square  miles.  There  was  doubtless  a  deep  channel 
with  slight  giade  running  from  Grizzly  Hill  (one  mile  southwest  of  Kennebec  House) 
to  Badger  Hill,  where  it  was  joined  by  the  steeper  channel  of  North  Bloomfield  from 
the  east.  The  Nortli  Columbia  gravels  are  among  the  most  extensive  and  deepest 
known,  the  depth  along  the  center  of  the  channel  being  from  400  to  500  feet.  The 
gravel  in  the  deepest  trough,  exposed  at  Badger  Hill  and  Grizzly  Hill,  is  coarse  and 
made  up  largely  of  metamorphic  rocks,  while  the  top  gravel,  spread  out  over  the 
benches,  is  fine  and  much  more  quartzose.  Near  the  surf.ace,  and  especially  up  toward 
the  base  of  the  lava  flow,  there  are  heavy  masses  of  sand  and  light-colored  clays. 

"The  gravels  at  North  Columbia  are  owned  chiefly  by  the  Eureka  Lake  Company, 
their  claims  covering  an  area  of  1445  acres  along  2i  miles  of  channel.  A  large  amount 
of  surface  work  has  been  done  and  150  feet  of  gravel  has  been  washed  off.  The  deep 
part  of  the  deposit  exposed  at  Grizzly  Hill  could  be  reached  only  by  running  long  and 
expensive  bedrock  tunnels  ;  this  would  have  been  done  but  for  the  injunctions  against 
hydraulic  mining.  It  is  estimated  that  25,000,000  cubic  yards  have  been  washed  off 
and  tliat  165,000,000  cubic  yards  remain. 

"Mining  operations  from  the  Derbec  shaft  have  proved  the  existence  of  a  deep 
channel  extending  for  several  thousand  feet  eastward.  This  is  not  the  main  North 
Bloomfield  channel  though  it  connects  with  that  a  short  distance  westward.  The 
Derbec  channel,  which  lias  a  steep  grade,  has  been  mined  up  stream  from  the  shaft 
for  a.  distance  of  7000  feet,  following  a  curve:  the  width  of  pay  gravel  was  from  150 
to  600  feet;  the  height  was  from  8  to  16  feet  from  the  bedrock.  The  gravel  is  coarse 
with  many  bpulders,  some  of  which  are  of  granite.  The  average  value  per  ton  is 
$2.47.  The  mine  was  in  operation  from  1877  to  1893,  and  the  production  in  some  years 
reached  .$200,000. 

"There  can  be  but  little  doubt  that  the  Derbec  channel  continues  towards  Relief. 
At  Relief  erosion  has  exposed  a  deep  trough  in  the  old  bedrock  and  about  200  acres  of 
auriferous  gravels.  The  oldest  gravels,  as  usual  coarser  and  containing  less  quartz, 
are  60  feet  deep  and  are  covered  by  from  100  to  200  feet  of  alternating  sand,  fine 
quartz  gravel  and  clay.  Some  hydraulic  work  was  done  long  ago  at  the  southern  and 
eastern  rims.  For  many  years  drifting  operations  only  have  been  carried  on.  The 
Union  tunnel  about  2500  feet  long  has  been  driven  from  the  southwestern  side  of  the 
gravel  area,  and  amounts  up  to  $30,000  and  $40,000  per  year  have  been  produced  for 
a  number  of  years.  Drifting  has  also  been  done  from  the  Blue  Gravel  tunnel,  starting' 
from  the  northeastern  side  of  the  deposit. 

"For  a  long  distance  east  of  Relief  the  bedrock  keeps  high,  and  no  gravel  outcrops 
along  the  contact,  but  at  Mount  Zion,  at  Devil's  Canyon,  fine  quartz  gravel,  having  a 
thickness  as  great  as  50  feet,  crops  below  the  North  Blooinfleld  ditch  for  a  distance  of 
nearly  one  mile.  Some  little  hydraulic  work,  as  well  as  drifting,  has  been  done  here. 
Many  years  ago  the  main  tunnel,  running  due  west  for  1400  feet,  struck  bedrock 
pitching  west.  It  is  probable  that  this  gravel  filled  a  tributary  running  northward  and 
joining  the  Derbec  channel. 

■~"At  Cherry  Hill,  between  Shands  and  Mount  Zion,  a  small  body  of  gravel  crops 
below  the  North  Bloomfield  ditch.  A  few  very  small  areas  were  noted  at  Shands  ; 
the  largest  was  100  feet  thick,  composed  of  well-washed  pebbles,  and  covered  by  sub- 
angular  gravel.  The  small  patches  north  and  south  of  Graniteville  are  also  partly 
subangular  giavel.  Well  washed  gravel  crops  below  the  andesite  north  of  the  town 
but  is  thin  and  irregular.  A  small,  rapidly  rising  channel  probably  continues  for  some 
distance  below  the  lava. 

"At  Snow  Point  and  Orleans  are  small  bodies  of  auriferous  gravel,  the  bedrock 
rising  rapidly  southward.  At  both  places  the  gravels  have  been  nearly  exhausted  for 
hydraulic  mining.  •  A  little  drifting  has  also  been  clone  at  Snow  Point.  At  this  place 
the  bank  is  135  feet  high;  the  lower  15  feet  contains  coarse  gravel,  covered  by  90  feet 
of  fine  sandy  quartzose  gravel,  again  overlain  by  2  0  feet  of  clay.  At  Orleans  the 
gravel  was  also  largely  quartzose.  West  of  Orleans  is  Moore's  Flat,  where  a  consid- 
erable body  of  gravel  is  exposed.  It  is  of  the  same  character  as  at  Snow  Point,  from 
100  to  130  feet  thick,  and  is  covered  by  andesitic  breccia.  Boulders  of  quartz,  from 
2  to  6  feet  in  diameter,  are  found  on  the  bedrock.  It  is  estimated  that  2  6,000,000 
cubic  yards  have  been  washed  off,  and  that  perhaps  15.000,000  remain. 

"At  Woolsey  Flat  there  is  likewise  a  large  body  of  gravel  exposed.  The  heavy 
gravel  up  to  a  thickness  of  100  feet,  is  similar  in  character  to  that  just  described,  but 
it  is  then  covered  by  as  much  as  150  feet  of  clay.  In  all  of  these  gravel  bodies  the 
gold  on  the  bedrock  is  rather  coarse.  But  little  hydraulic  gravel  remains  at  W'oolsey 
Flat,  as  the  thickness  of  the  nonproductive  strata  is  rapidly  increasing.  The  produc- 
tion of  these  hydraulic  mines,  while  very  laige,  is  not  definitely  known.  None  of  them 
have  been  in  operation  since  1886. 

«  ^-  *  :!:  ±  *  » 

"The  continuation  of  the  Minnesota  channel  is  found  one  mile  south  of  Alleghany 
at  Smith's  Flat,  somewhat  higher  in  elevation  than  Chip's  Flat.  Here  a  little  hydraulic 
work  has  also  been  done  and  tlie  banks  are  fifty  feet  in  height.  I'^rom  here  the  chan- 
nel has  been  drifted  through  to  Forest.  As  usual  in  this  channel  the  bottom  gravel  is 
coaise  and  contains  many  flat  cobbles  and  boulders  of  a  bluish-white  siliceous  slate; 
also  much  quartz.     The  gold  on  the  liedrock  is  coarse,  and  has  often  worked  its  way 


GOLD   I'LACEKS   OF   CALIFORNIA.  133 

down  some  distance  into  the  decomposed  bedrock.  The  production  of  this  channel  has 
amounted  to  several  million  dollars,  though  it  is  impossible  to  obtain  exact  statistics. 
One  of  the  most  successfully  worked  claims  was  that  of  the  Live  Yanliee,  extending 
aiong  2600  feet  of  channel.     Its  production  was  nearly  $700,000. 

"A  -small  amount  of  heavy  gravel  crops  at  Forest,  but  the  channel  enters  the 
northern  ridge  immediately  and  continues  in  a  north  northeast  direction.  It  was 
worked  bv  the  Bald  Mountain  Company,  from  1S72  to  1879,  for  a  distance  of  about  a 
mile,  producing  ?150,000.  The  gravel  was  extracted  to  a  height  of  3i  feet,  including 
one  foot  of  bedrock.  The  yield  per  cubic  yard  of  unbroken  gravel  was  about  $7.  A 
shaft  sunk  ISOO  feet  from  the  mouth  shows  215  feet  of  clay  and  sand  covering  15  feet 
of  gravel ;  no  such  heavy  masses  of  silt  are  found  farther  down  on  this  channel.  The 
Bald  Mountain  channel  was  found  to  be  cut  off  by  a  lower  intervolcanic  claannel  filled 
with  lava,  but  continues  beyond  this  to  the  Ruby  Mine  and  the  Downieville  quadrangle. 

"At  Blue  Tent  the  gravel  crops  extensively  below  the  lava,  tilling  a  deep  trough  in 
the  bedrock,  the  deepest  part  liaving  the  same  elevation  as  Grizzly  Hill  across  the 
canyon.  Tlie  bottom  gravel  is  coarse  and  cemented  and  is  covered  by  over  300  feet  of 
light-gray  sand  and  clay,  mixed  with  tine  quartz  gravel.  The  sand  is  particularly 
abundant  and  nearly  barren.  About  15,000,000  cubic  yards  have  been  removed  and 
some  90,000,000  remain,  much  of  which  is  barren  clay  and  sand.  The  lower  gravel 
averaged  15  cents  or  more  per  cubic  yard,  while  the  sandy  top  gravel  contained  only 
2J   cents. 

"  "On  the  ridge  northeast  of  Nevada  City  a  small  but  rich  channel  has  been  drifted 
from  the  east  and  west  Harmony  inclines.  The  gravel,  which  is  partly  subangular,  is 
taken  out  to  a  depth  of  four  feet.  In  Rock  Creek  below  the  andesite  lie  large  masses 
of  clay  and  sand,  similar  to  the  deposit  of  Blue  Tent.  Still  larger  accumulations  are 
exposed  at  Scott's  Flat  and  Quaker  Hill.  The  gravel,  covered  with  rhyolitic  tuff  and 
andesite,  fills  the  deep  trough  well-exposed  by  Deer  Creek  and  Greenhorn  River.  Along 
the  principal  channel  the  gravels  are  nearly  600  feet  deep  ;  the  bench  gravels  surround- 
ing the  deepest  trough  are  about  300  feet  in  depth.  At  Hunt's  Hill  the  deepest 
channel  exposed  by  mining  operations  is  about  tlie  level  of  the  tailings  in  the  river. 
North  of  this  point  it  is  not  visible  until  exposed  again  at  Blue  Tent.  The  evidence 
of  the  bedrock  relation,  and  the  accumulation  of  gravel  clearly  show  that  the  deep 
channel  is  continuous  from  Hunt's  Hill  to  Blue  Tent.  A  shaft  has  been  sunk  in  the  old 
diggings  at  Quaker  Hill  and  bedrock  was  found  at  an  elevation  of  about  2  650  feet.  A 
shaft  sunk  in  tlie  creek  at  Scott's  Flat  struck  bedrock  at  an  elevation  of  about  2770 
feet,  the  lowest  bedrock  not  being  found.  At  Quaker  Hill  the  width  of  the  channel 
said  to  pay  for  drifting  is  about  130  feet  and  the  depth  of  pay  gravel  is  from  four  to 
sixteen  feet.  As  usual  the  gravel  is  coarse  and  cemented  in  the  deep  trough,  while  the 
bench  gravels,  several  hundred  feet  thick,  are  chiefly  fine  quartz  gravel  mixed  with 
sand. 

"The  yield  of  the  top  gravel  rarely  exceeds  6  cents  per  cubic  yard  in  fine  gold, 
while  the  bottom  gravel  may  be  very  rich.  It  is  estimated  that  near  Scott's  Flat 
12,000,000  cubic  yards  liave  been  removed,  while  35.000,000  measures  the  amount  at 
Quaker  Hill,  where  the  gravel  banks  reach  a  thickness  of  250  feet.  A  vast  amount  of 
workable  gravel,  estimated  at  140.000,000  yards,  remains  at  Quaker  Hill.  At  both 
Quaker  Hill  and  Scott's  Flat  it  is  difficult,  if  not  impossible,  to  obtain  dumping  ground 
and  sufficient  grade  for  sluices. 

"Deep  gravel  fringed  with  rhyolite  for  three  miles  east  of  Quaker  Hill  represents 
without  much  doubt  a  tributary  crossing  the  ridge  near  Galbraith's.  South  of  this 
place  there  is  aljoiit  100  feet  of  clay  underlain  by  some  gravel.  Here  some  drifting 
lins  been  done,  both  on  the  north  and  south  sides.  Heavy  clay  masses  are  exposed  at 
Burrington  Hill,  where  some  hydraulic  work  was  done  long  ago.  The  gravel  of  this 
tributary  has  also  been  hydraulicked  on  the  north  and  south  sides  of  the  Quaker  Hill 
ridge. 

"High  bedrock  appears  on  the  ridge  three  miles  northeast  of  Quaker  Hill.  East  of 
this  are  exposed  the  small  Red  Diamond  channel  on  the  north  side  of  the  ridge,  and 
other  channels  covered  with  deep  clay  on  the  south  side.  A  little  work  has  been  done 
on  all  of  them.  At  Cooper's  Mill  it  is  said  that  an  old  incline  was  sunk  on  the  rim, 
tracing  the  bedrock  down  to  an  elevation  of  3500  feet.  If  this  is  correct,  it  would  be 
highly  remarkable,  as  this  is  considerably  lower  than  the  rim  rock  at  any  point  in 
this  lava  area  and  it  would  imply  the  existence  of  a  closed  basin.  The  important 
Centennial  channel  is  covered  by  this  same  lava  area.  Buckeye  Hill  is  a  small  mass 
of  bench  gravel  southeast  of  Quaker  Hill.  The  gravel  has  been  almost  entirely 
removed. 

"At  Red  Dog  and  Hawkin's  Canyon  near  You  Bet  the  deep  channel  has  again  been 
exposed  and  is  beyond  douV)t  continued  between  the  two  points.  The  gravel  is  similar 
to  that  of  Quaker  Hill.  The  deepest  gravel  has  been  hydraulicked  only  at  the  nlaces 
mentioned,  but  considerable  drifting  by  means  of  tunnels  and  inclines  has  been  done 
from  Niece  and  West's  claims  for  li  miles  northeast  on  the  Steep  Hollow  side.  The 
channel  has  very  little  fall,  the  average  elevation  being  2600  feet.  It  is  estimated 
that  47,000,000  cubic  yards  of  gravel  haVe  been  removed,  leaving  over  100.000.000 
yaids  available.  Much  of  this  would,  however,  he  difficult  to  wash  on  account  of  lack 
of  grade.  Reports  of  yield  and  grade  of  gravel  are  not  available,  but  the  You  Bet 
diggings  have  probably  produced   $3,000,000. 

"The  Little  York  gravel  area  contained  a  fragment  of  the  old  deep  channel,  which 
lias  been  almost  comnletely  removed  by  hydraulic  mining.  The  character  of  the  gravel 
is  similar  to  that  of  You  Bet.  As  usual  the  narrow,  deep  channel  contains  a  hard 
cemented  gravel  30  or  40  feet  thick,  capped  by  as  much  as  350  feet  of  fine  gravel, 
interstratifled  with  some  clay  and  sand.  Large  boulders  of  quartzite  and  quartz  occur 
on  the  bedrock,  both  in  the  deep  channel  and  on  the  benches.  The  vield  has  nrobablv 
exceeded  $1,000,000.  The  continuation  of  the  deep  channel  is  found  at  Dutch  Flat  and 
its  direction  is  plainly  marked  bv  the  small  intervening  gravel  bodies  of  Missouri  Hill 
and  Eastman  Hill.  The  principal  area  at  Dutch  Flat  extends  oast  to  west  for  a  mile: 
the  gravel  has  a  maximum  depth  of  about  300  feet,  the  lower  150  feet  consisting  of 
coarse  blue  gravel,  largely  made  up  of  metamorphic  rock,  well  cemented  and  covered 
by  varying  thickness  of  finer  quartz  gravel,  clay  and  sand.     In  the  lower  gravel  and 


134  CALIFORNIA   STATE   MINING   BUREAU. 

on  the  bedrock  heavy  boulders  are  plentiful.  The  channel  has  a  very  strong  grade, 
in  marked  contrast  to  the  level  stretch  below^  You  Bet.  Hydraulic  work  has  been  done 
chiefly  at  the  eastern  and  western  end,  at  both  of  which  places  the  deep  bedrock  is 
exposed.  About  90,000,000  cubic  yards  have  been  washed  and  a  considerably  less 
amount  remains.  Practically  the  whole  extent  of  channel  has  been  drifted  and 
cemented  gravel  worked  in  stamp  mills.  The  yield  is  not  known  but  probably  exceeds 
$3,000,000.     The  Polar  Star  gravel  is  said  to  average  11  cents  per  cubic  yard. 

"From  Dutch  Flat  the  gravel  area  continues  southward,  narrowing  to  a  few  hundred 
feet  at  Squire's  Canyon  and  widening  to  from  1500  to  3000  feet  near  Gold  Run;  its 
southern  end,  overlooking  the  American  River,  is  called  Indiana  Hill.  Over  a  large 
part  of  this  area  the  gravel  is  deep,  reaching  in  places  300  feet  and  even  a  maximum 
of  400  feet. 

"The  surface  is  as  usual  reddish,  containing  many  small  quartz  pebbles  and  some 
interstratified  sand  and  clay.  The  bottom  gravel  in  the  deep  trough  at  Indiana  Hill 
shows  60  feet  of  coarse  cemented  blue  gravel  with  a  large  proportion  of  raetamorphic 
boulders;  the  lowest  trough  is  here  from  300  to  500  feet  wide.  The  question  whether 
there  is  a  deep  and  continuous  channel  from  Indiana  Hill  to  Dutch  Flat  is  one  of 
much  importance.  Deep  bedrock  has  been  found  at  Jehosaphat  Hill,  half  a  mile  south 
of  Dutch  Flat,  having  an  elevation  of  2  877  feet,  this  part  of  the  channel  clearly  con- 
necting with  Thompson  Hill,  a  short  distance  northward.  In  Squire's  Canyon,  where 
the  gravel  area  nari'ows  down  to  500  feet  in  width  and  the  elevation  is  about  3050 
feet,  a  shaft  is  stated  to  have  been  sunk  to  a  depth  of  about  150  feet,  striking  pitching 
bedrock  at  that  depth,  and  showing  the  existence  here  of  a  deep  trough,  having  an 
elevation  of  less  than  2  900  feet.  If  this  is  correct,  there  is  little  doubt  that  a  continu- 
ous deep  channel  exists  between  Indiana  Hill,  with  an  elevation  of  2792  feet,  and 
Dutch  Flat,  with  a  moderate  grade  of  25  feet  per  mile  toward  Indiana  Hill.  Bedrock 
has  again  been  exposed  1200  feet  farther  north  by  the  Cedar  Creek  tunnel,  and  again 
2000  feet  from  Indiana  Hill  by  a  tunnel  from  Canyon  Creek,  run  by  the  Gold  Run 
Ditch  and  Mine  Company.  From  the  former  place  the  bedrock  was  said  to  slope 
gently  toward  Indiana  Hill.  The  so-called  '49'  shaft  was  sunk  nearly  to  the  bottom 
of  the  channel  between  Gold  Run  and  Indiana  Hill,  but  exact  data  regarding  its 
elevation  were  not  available.  Another  shaft,  75  feet  deep,  was  sunk  to  the  bedrock 
of  Canyon  Creek  about  half  way  between  Gold  Run  and  Dutch  Flat.  Extensive 
hydraulic  mining  operations  were  carried  on  at  Gold  Run  for  about  ten  years,  in 
which  time  perhaps  $3,000,000  or  more  were  extracted.  Some  84,000,000  cubic  yards 
have  been  washed  off,  but  an  equal  quantity,  estimated  at  92,000,000,  remains.  An 
area  of  555  acres  has  been  washed  off  to  an  average  depth  of  75  feet.  At  Indiana 
Hill  the  bottom  gravel  was  drifted  and  crushed  in  mills.  The  yield  per  cubic  yard  of 
hydraulic  gravel  is  said  to  be  11  cents,  but  this  estimate  is  in  all  probability  too  high. 
The  drifting  ground  at  Indiana  Hill  yielded  between  1872  and  1874  at  the  rate  of  $9 
per  cubic  yard  of  gravel  in  place.  Above  Dutch  Flat  toward  Alta  is  the  gravel  hill  of 
Nary  Red,  the  narrow  channel  of  which  has  been  drifted  and  hydraulicked ;  the  gravel 
is  a  medium,  fine  red  quartz,  covered  with  rhyolitic  clays.  From  here  the  channel 
extended  in  the  hill  toward  Alta.  A  shaft  sunk  at  Alta  35  feet  below  the  railroad 
found  bedrock  at  132  feet.  A  tunnel  extends  from  Canyon  Creek  one-half  mile  south 
of  Alta  to  the  shaft  and  the  gravel  in  the  channel  is  now  being  worked.  The  gravel  is 
soft  quartzose,  not  cemented.  From  this  point  a  branch  channel  probably  crosses 
Canyon  Creek  and  extends  to  Moody  Gap,  east  of  which  the  remainder  is  probably 
eroded.  Another  branch  extends  from  Alta  eastward,  probably  emerging  at  Shady 
Run,  and  grading  sharply  westward.  It  is  mostly  filled  with  rhyolitic  clays,  although 
a  bank  of  gravel  also  appears  on  the  northern  rim  which  has  been  washed.  Minor 
drifting  operations  have  also  been  undertaken  in  this  vicinity.  A  remainder  of  the 
same  channel  is  preserved  at  Lost  Camp  two  miles  south  southeast  of  Blue  Canyon. 
Here  are  about  120  acres  of  quartzose,  imperfectly  washed  gravel,  50  to  75  feet  deep, 
containing  some  rather  large  boulders.     Only  a  smaller  portion  has  been  hydraulicked. 

"A  branch  of  the  Dutch  Flat  channel  continued  across  the  present  Bear  River. 
Elmore  Hill  on  the  point  between  Bear  River  and  Little  Bear  Creek  has  been  almost 
completely  washed  off.  Rising  at  a  rapid  rate,  the  continuation  of  the  channel  is 
found  at  Liberty  Hill.  The  gravel  is  here  about  60  feet  deep,  30  feet  of  reddish  quartz 
gravel  covering  the  same  amount  of  blue  gravel  full  of  very  large  boulders  of  gabbro 
and  serpentine.  The  amount  of  gravel  removed  is  estimated  at  2.000,000  cubic  yards, 
some  16,000.000  remaining.  The  channel  continues  up  to  Lowell  Hill,  but  the  gravel  is 
here  covered  by  very  heavy  masses  of  light-colored  clay.  At  Lowell  Hill  the  gravel  is 
30  feet  deep,  the  coarse  bottom  gravel  being  covered  by  finer  quartzose  gravel.  The 
heavy  clay  banks  make  hydraulic  working  difficult.  Considerable  work  has,  however, 
been  done  at  the  Klamath  Mine.  Drifting  operations  have  also  been  undertaken  south 
of  Nigger  Jack  Hill  at  the  Valentine  Mine  and  farther  south  opposite  the  Klamath  at 
the  Swamp  Ansel. 

"Opposite  Lowell  Hill  lies  Remington  Hill  at  a  slightly  higher  elevation.  Here 
again  is  an  old  depression  filled  with  gravel  of  which  a  few  acres  are  exposed.  The 
gravel  is  similar  to  that  of  Lowell  Hill  and  is  capped  by  heavy  masses  of  clay.  The 
amount  excavated  is  estimated  at  1,750,000  cubic  yards,  while  possibly  600,000  cubic 
vards  remain.  Much  of  this,  however,  is  heavily  capped  by  clay  and  volcanic  tuff. 
The  channel  has  been  struck  by  two  drift  tunnels  a  little  eastward,  making  it  possible 
that  the  channel  comes  out  again  at  Democrat,  another  little  gravel  point,  separated 
from  Remington  by  a  bedrock  spur,  where  hydraulic  work  has  also  been  done. 

"On  the  point  between  the  forks  of  Steep  Hollow,  opposite  Democrat,  is  the  small 
gravel  hill  called  Excelsior,  doubtless  representing  the  extension  of  the  Democrat 
channel.  To  the  north  and  northwest  of  Excelsior  the  bedrock  rises  rapidly.  The 
channel  may  have  continued  a  couple  of  miles  farther  northeast,  but  whether  it  enters 
under  the  lava  flow  or  follows  the  present  course  of  Steep  Hollow  is  uncertain. 

"On  the  south  fork  of  the  Yuba  several  important  gravel  bodies  are  found.  A  few 
small  points  covered  with  quartz  gravel  occur  southeast  of  Relief  on  the  south  side 
of  the  canyon.  At  Alpha  about  75  acres  of  gravel  are  preserved,  the  pebbles  consisting 
chiefly  of  quartz,  quartzite  and  a  hard  conglomerate.  Some  quartz  boulder.=!  on  the 
beflropk  reach  5   feet  in  diameter,  but  most  of  the  gravel  is  light  and  sandy.     The 


GOLD  PLACERS  OP  CALIFORNIA.  135 

banks  are  90  feet  high,  including  2  0  feet  of  clay  at  the  top.  The  amount  removed  is 
5,000,000  cubic  yards  ;  only  a  quarter  of  that  amount  remains. 

"At  Omega  several  hundred  acres  of  gravel  are  exposed  and  have  been  extensively 
worked.  The  gravel  lies  on  a  flat  bench  and  apparently  extends  southeasterly  under 
the  lava.  The  greatest  thickness  is  175  feet.  The  bed  consists  of  150  feet  of  gi-avel, 
covered  by  six  feet  of  clay,  above  which  is  again  20  feet  of  gri'avel,  all  showing  colors. 
The  lowest  stratum  contains  some  large  boulders  of  granite  from  the  Canyon  Creek 
area,  but  the  main  body  is  composed  of  smaller  cobbles  up  to  six  inches  in  diameter, 
quartz  decidedly  predominating.  Tlie  extent  of  this  channel  southward  is  not  defi- 
nitely known,  though  a  shaft  was  sunk  to  bedrock  on  the  Blue  Tent  ditch,  cutting 
good  gravel.  Its  depth  is  not  known.  Some  distance  soutli  of  Omega  is  a  small  gravel 
flat  called  Shellback  at  a  higher  elevation ;  beyond  this  the  bedrock  rises  rapidly. 
Towards  the  southeast  the  bedrock  also  rises,  though  less  rapidly,  and  gravel  is  found 
in  places  along  the  rim.  At  Diamond  Creek  a  small  body  of  quartz  gravel  is  exoosed, 
having  a  maximum  thickness  of  12  feet,  and  covered  by  nearly  barren  Pleistocene 
morainal  boulder  clay. 

"Extensive  hydraulic  operations  have  removed  12,000,000  cubic  yards  at  Omega,  the 
tailings  discharging  in  Scotchman  Creek  through  a  3000-foot  bedrock  tunnel.  Appar- 
ently reliable  calculations  give  13 J  cents  as  the  yield  per  cubic  yard;  the  lowest  gravel 
of  course  being  much  the  richest  part  of  the  deposit.  About  40,000,000  cubic  yards 
are  estimated  to  be  still  available  for  hydraulic  mining. 

"It  remains  to  mention  the  occurrence  of  many  uncertain  and  puzzling  features  at 
Phelp's  Hill,  Centennial,  and  San  Jose  shafts.  At  Phelp's  Hill,  at  an  elevation  of  about 
4060  feet,  15  to  30  f^•et  of  gravel  outcrop  below  the  lava  for  one-half  mile.  Heavy 
quartzose  boulders  are  found  on  tlie  bedrock.  A  remarkable  disturbance  occurs  here, 
the  gravel  being  cut  by  a  fault  which  throws  the  west  side  down  about  40  feet.  The 
fault  is  traceable  for  at  least  400  feet,  running  north  and  south.  The  Centennial  shaft, 
one  and  one-third  miles  south  southeast  of  Phelp's  Hill,  was  sunk  in  1887  to  a  depth 
of  400  feet,  and  the  bottom  of  a  deep  channel  was  found  by  drifting  from  it.  Later 
a  tunnel  was  run  2500  feet  south  from  the  place  indicated  south  of  Phelp's,  the  eleva- 
tion being  about  4080  feet.  A  channel  was  struck  at  the  tunnel  level :  it  is  400  feet  in 
width,  and  carried  quartz  and  greenstone  gravel,  the  gold  being  fairly  coarse.  Work 
has  been  suspended,  from  which  it  may  be  inferred  that  on  account  of  its  width  the 
gravel  body  on  the  bedrock  is  not  very  rich.  If,  as  seems  probable,  this  channel  con- 
nects with  that  of  Phelp's,  it  can  have  but  little  grade. 

"A  mile  southwest  from  the  Centennial  shaft  the  San  Jose  shaft  is  sunk  in  the  bed 
of  south  fork  of  Deer  Creek  to  a  depth  of  340  feet,  giving  the  channel  an  elevation  of 
between  4000  and  4100  feet,  which  is  stated  to  be  somewhat  higher  than  the  Centen- 
nial channel.  Drifting  from  the  shaft  showed  the  channel  to  be  about  300  feet  wide. 
The  gravel  is  composed  of  cobbles  of  quartz  and  country  rock  about  seven  to  fifteen 
feet  thick,  covered  by  40  feet  of  clay,  above  which  is  lava.  There  is  little  doubt  that 
this  channel  is  continuous  with  the  Centennial,  and  it  appears  probable  that  its  grade 
is  northward,  making  it  a  branch  by  way  of  Phelp's  Hill  of  the  main  stream  from 
Relief  Hill  to  Omega.  It  has  been  thought  bv  .some  that  this  channel  might  continue 
to  Remington  Hill  with  a  southerly  grade.  This  appears  unlikely,  however,  and  it  is 
scarcely  possible  that  there  should  be  a  continuous  channel  between  Phelo's  and 
Remington  hills,  for  the  channels  at  these  two  places  certainly  connect  with  different 
branches  of  the  old  Yuba  River.  There  will  probably  be  found  a  low  divide  separating 
the  San  Jose  channel  from  Remington  Hill  and  from  the  Quaker  Hill  drainage.  It  is 
also  very  unlikely  that  any  of  the  channels  under  this  lava  area  had  any  direct  con- 
nection ■with  Omesra. 

"On  the  Iowa  Hill  and  Forest  Hill  divides  a  small  amount  of  gravel  is  exoosed  on 
the  surface,  but  the  channels  preserved  below  the  lava  are  rich  and  numerous.  At 
Iowa  Hill  a  deep  channel  extends  from  northwest  to  southwest  across  the  ridee  north 
of  Indian  Creek.  The  sharply  defined  trough  is  200  feet  deep  and  is  filled  with  coarse 
gravel,  well  cemented  in  its  lower  parts.  The  total  thickness  is  over  300  feet.  The 
channel  is  from  200  to  400  feet  wide  on  the  bottom.  This  gravel  has  been  hydrau- 
licked.  except  a  narrow  ridge  upon  which  the  town  stands.  Lighter  quartzose  bench 
gravels  extend  northeast  of  Iowa  Hill.  They  have  a  maximum  thickness  of  200  feet 
and  are  covered  by  thin  rhyolite  tuff  and  andesite.  They  have  been  extensively 
hvdraulicked  and  some  ground  yet  remains. 

"At  Succor  Flat  a  deep  and  narrow  channel,  belonging  to  the  intervolcanic  epoch, 
has  been  drifted  for  a  distance  of  2500  feet.  The  same  channel  probably  crosses 
Indian  Creek  at  Monona  Flat  and  finds  its  outlet  at  some  place  on  Roach  Hiil.  South 
of  Indian  Creek  over  300  feet  of  gravels  crop;  southward  they  thin  out  with  rising  bed- 
rock but  deepen  again  near  "Wisconsin  Hill,  having  at  both  places  the  same  general 
character  as  at  Iowa  Hill.  Between  Morning  Star  and  Wisconsin  Hill  there  is  doubt- 
less a  deep  and  continuous  channel,  which  is  clearly  the  extension  of  that  underlying 
Iowa  Hill.  Extensive  hydraulic  work  has  been  done,  both  near  Morning  Star  and  east 
of  it  along  Indian  Creek,  as  well  as  at  TV^sconsin  Hill.  A  body  of  higher  bench  gravel, 
across  Refuge  Canyon  at  Elizabeth  Hill,  has  also  been  hydraiilicked.  but  nearly  all  of 
this  work  has  ceased  during  the  last  decade.  Instead  extensive  drift  mining  has  been 
carried  on.  At  the  Morning  Star  the  deep  channel,  extending  in  an  easterly  direction, 
has  been  mined  for  a  distance  of  nearly  3000  feet :  about  seven  feet  of  cemented  gravel 
are  extracted,  the  width  of  the  pay  gravel  being  from  80  to  200  feet.  This  drift  mine 
has  proved  among  the  richest  in  the  gold  belt.  The  gravel  contained  for  a  long 
Tienod.  it  is  stated  $7  ner  carload,  equal  to  $14  per  cubic  yard,  and  the  annual  produc- 
tion ranged  from  $2,500  to  $150,000. 

"The  Bisr  Dipper  Mine  has  been  working-  the  same  channel  since  1890  from  the 
Wisconsin  Hill  side  with  excellent  re.'^ults.  The  grade  of  the  main  channel  is  remark- 
ably slight.  2692  feet  being  the  elevation  of  bedrock  at  Wisconsin  Hill.  2R85  feet  at 
the  Morning  Star,  and  2631  at  the  Northwest  side  of  the  Iowa  Hill  channel.  In  1899 
the  workings  of  this  mine  were  connected  with  those  of  the  Morning  Star,  pi'oving 
conclusively  the  identity  of  the  channels.  A  smaller  channel  pitching  into  the  ridge 
ba.s  been  followed  .some  di.stance  in  from  Grizzlv  Flat  and  nrob.ablv  joins  the  Morning 
btar  Channel.     A  small  body  of  well  worked  quartz  gravel  was  found  at  Kings  Hill, 


I'SC)  f.MJFUHXJA    STATK    MINING    m'KEAU. 

chiflly  uiK'  and  iHit-lialf  inilos  .S(nitli\vest  of  Wisconsin  Hill;  it  is  interosting  bL-caiiso 
of  its  position  between  Yankee  .Jim  and  Wisconsin  Hill,  and  its  comparatively  low 
elevation — 2550  feet.     Four  or  five  acres  liave  been  washed  here  to  a  depth  of  20  feet. 

"Above  Monona  Flat  very  little  gravel  is  exposed,  the  andesite  tuff  resting  on  bed- 
rock of  irregular  configuration.  At  the  Giant  Gap  claim,  four  miles  west  of  Damascus, 
the  lava  cap  is  very  narrow ;  below  it  a  gorge-like  intervolcanic  channel  has  been 
exposed.  Three  miles  west  of  Damascus  is  Mclntyre's  claim,  where  a  thousand  foot 
tunnel  has  exposed  the  same  or  a  similar  narrow  channel.  One  mile  northeast  of  this 
is  the  Colfax  claim,  showing  some  quartz  gravel,  probably  belonging  to  a  prevolcanic 
channel,  a  continuation  of  which  may  be  found  at  Jimtown,  three-fourths  of  a  mile 
north  of  the  reservoir.  At  Jimtown  a  shaft,  100  feet  deep,  has  been  sunk,  finding 
quartz  gravel  and  pitching  bedrock.  No  data  are  available  to  estimate  the  yield  of 
Iowa  Hill  Divide  since  1849.     It  probably  considerably  exceeds  $10,000,000. 

"To  begin  now  a  rapid  sketch  of  the  Forest  Hill  divide,  it  should  be  stated  that 
comparatively  little  of  the  mining  work  done  falls  south  of  the  boundary  of  the  Colfax 
quadrangle.  At  Peckham  Hill  a  little  unsuccessful  drifting  has  been  done  on  the  deep 
and  narrow  cement  channel  finding  its  outlet  there.  At  Todd  "Valley  a  body  of  bench 
gravel  crops,  which  was  washed  at  Pond's  claims  until  the  overlying  lava  became  too 
heavy  to  handle.  This  gravel  is  partly  cemented,  poorly  washed,  and  about  40  feet 
thick.  About  11,000,000  cubic  yards  have  been  washed  off,  the  yield  of  which  is  given 
as  $5,000,000,  but  this  is  probably  too  high. 

"At  Georgia  Hill,  opposite  Yankee  Jim,  a  thickness  of  100  feet  of  gravel  is  exposed 
below  the  lava,  and  a  few  acres  have  been  washed  off  along  the  edge.  At  Yankee  Jim 
a  larger  area  of  gravel  from  40  to  100  feet  thick  Ls  met  with,  which  toward  the  east 
disappears  under  the  lava.  The  gravel  is  fairly  coarse,  being  composed  of  metamor- 
phic  rocks  with  some  quartz.  The  bedrock  is  at  nearly  the  same  elevation  as  at 
Georgia  Hill,  and  the  main  channel  seems  to  have  had  its  direction  northeasterly  and 
southwesterly,  though  a  somewhat  higher  channel  extended  eastward,  and  probably 
connected  with  the  Smith's  Point  bench  gravel  a  mile  and  a  half  distant  and  situated 
on  the  south  fork  of  Brushy  Creek.  The  gravel  at  Smith's  point  is  fifty  feet  thick, 
interstratified  with  sand.  It  is  estimated  that  S, (530,000  cubic  yards  have  been  removed 
from  Georgia  Hill,  Yankee  Jim  and  Smith's  Point,  and  that  the  yield  has  been  about 
$5,000,000.  The  amount  remaining  available  for  hydraulic  work  is  undoubtedly  less 
than  that  removed,  for  the  volcanic  cap  will  soon  make  hydraulic  work  impossible. 
One-quarter  of  a  mile  east  of  Georgia  Hill  the  Anthony  Clark  tunnel  has  recently  been 
run  in  a  southerly  direction  about  550  feet,  and  it  is  reported  to  have  shown  the 
existence  of  a  large  channel  with  much  granitic  detritus.  The  tunnel  is  found  to  be 
too  high,  striking  the  channel  above  bedrock. 

"It  is  believed  that  the  Yankee  Jim  channel  flowed  northward  toward  Wisconsin 
Hill  by  way  of  Kings  Hill.  It  is  also  believed  that  it  connects  below  the  lava  with  the 
Dardanelles  channel,  though  the  latter  intervolcanic  channels  may  have  removed  much 
of  the  earlier  accumulations  and  in  some  places  destroyed  the  older  channel. 

"At  Dardanelles  and  Forest  Hill  the  canyon  slope  has  exposed  below  the  lava  a 
long,  low  trough,  filled  with  gravel  and  rhyolitic  tuff.  The  gravel  is  moderately  coarse, 
composed  of  quartz  and  metamorphic  rocks,  and  is  well  cemented  near  the  bedrock. 
Above  it  rests  rhyolitic  tuff,  intercalated  with  some  gravel,  clay  and  sand.  The  thick- 
ness of  these  two  formations  varies  exceedingly.  At  the  New  Jersey  claim  the  gravel 
is  only  eight  feet  thick,  and  is  overlain  by  rhyolitic  tuff.  At  the  Dardanelles  it  has 
a  maximum  thickness  of  70  feet.  In  the  region  above  Mayflower  are  extensive  bodies 
of  rhyolitic  tuff  with  intercalated  gravels,  as  well  as  clays  and  sands,  of  more  doubtful 
origin.  The  depth  of  these  accumulations  at  Mayflower  over  the  deep  channel  is  350 
feet.  In  the  intercalated  gravels  granitic  and  rhyolitic  cobbles  are  common.  At 
Adams  tunnel  178  feet  of  rhyolitic  clay  are  exposed  with  two  smaller  gravel  bodies. 
Again  at  Black  Hawk,  Wasson,  and  Westchester  claims  similar  bodies  are  exposed. 
At  Bath,  again,  the  same  channel  is  exposed  with  about  250  feet  of  overlying  gravel 
and  white  tuff.  The  lower  part  is  a  trough  500  feet  wide  and  100  feet  deep,  filled  in 
the  bottom  with  washed  and  rounded  bedrock  boulders,  composed  chiefly  of  serpentine 
and  greenstone.  Above  this  comes  a  thick  stratum  of  the  usual  coarse  quartz  gravel, 
and  above  this  a  thick  series  of  rhyolitic  tuff  with  intercalated  gravel,  having  a  maxi- 
mum thickness  of  30  feet,  and  containing  granite  and  rhyolitic  boulders.  The  thickness 
of  this  series  varies  from  100  to  250  feet,  and  it  is  again  covered  by  270  to  300  feet  of 
andesitic  tuff  breccia. 

"The  main  prevolcanic  channel  enters  the  ridge  at  Bath  and  runs  northerly  for  a 
mile  with  very  slight  grade,  then  curves  west  and  south,  assumes  a  grade  of  60  feet 
per  mile,  and  passes  below  Mayflower  and  Forest  Hill  to  the  Dardanelles,  where  it 
turns  northwest  again  towards  Yankee  Jim  without  leaving  the  ridge. 

"The  mining  operations  in  this  vicinity  have  been  very  extensive.  The  hydraulic 
operations  have  mainly  ceased,  though  a  considerable  amount  of  ground  is  still  avail- 
able at  the  Dardanelles  arid  around  the  head  of  Brushy  Canyon.  At  the  former  place 
and  at  Forest  Hill  4.850.000  cubic  yards  have  been  excavated:  at  the  head  of  Brushy 
Canyon  probably  7.350.000  cubic  yards.     Only  drift  mining  is  now  carried  on. 

"The  main  old  channel  has  been  drifted  at  Dardanelles  for  2  500  feet  in  a  northwest 
direction  :  the  gravel  which  is  cemented  was  here  five  feet  deep  and  75  feet  wide. 
Mining  is  still  in  progress  here.  The  mine  is  believed  to  have  produced  $2,000,000  or 
more  by  drifting  and  hydraulicking. 

"Below  Forest  Hill  a  number  of  smaller  depressions,  called  front  channels,  were 
worked  many  years  ago  from  Jenny  Ijind  and  New  Jersey  tunnels,  but  no  extensive 
recent  work  has  been  done  there.  The  main  channel  has  been  reached  by  the  Balti- 
more tunnel  .and  Excelsior  slone,  but  some  drifting  ground  still  remains  between  these 
points  and  the  Mavflower.  The  giound  in  this  vicinity  is  supposed  to  have  produced 
$5,000,000,  about  $1,500,000  being  taken  from  a  strin  of  ground  in  the  New  Jersey 
claim.  SOO  feet  long  and  300  feet  wide. 

"Fi'om  the  Maydowei-  tunnel.  4740  feet  long,  the  main  channel  has  been  worked, 
chieflv  from  1R8S  to  180  1.  for  a  distance  of  three  miles,  connecting  it  with  the  Paragon 
workings.  A  bed  of  gravel  from  two  to  fourteen  feet  thick,  having  an  average  width 
of  75  feet,  was  removed  from  the  bedrock.     The  yield  has  been  approximately  $1,500,000, 


GOLD   PLACERS   OF    CALIFORNIA. 


137 


or  $7  per  ton  of  louse  gravel  delivered.  Sixty-six  per  cent  of  the  bottom  giavel  \vius 
found  to  pay  for  extracting.  Between  the  Paragon  and  the  Mayflower  m  the  bend  is 
a  narrow  gorge,  1000  feet  long,  where  the  channel  is  only  25  feet  wide  and  poor  in 
gold  \n  npper  lead  or  streak  of  gravel  enclosed  in  the  rhyolitic  tuff,  150  feet  above 
the  iaedrock  and  paying  for  drifting,  is  said  to  exist  along  the  Mayflower  channel  as 
well  as  at  the  Paragon  at  Bath,  but  it  has  not  yet  been  worked  to  any  extent.  L-ittlo 
work  is  being  done  at  present  on  the  main  channel  at  the  Mayflower.  The  same 
channel  has  been  worked  from  the  Paragon  mine  to  a  distance  of  6S00  feet  north 
The  width  of  gravel  breasted  is  50  feet,  depth  2  to  7  feet  yield  per  ton  delivered  at 
surface  $10,  total  vield  bv  hydraulicking.  $500,000,  by  drifting,  $8d0,000.  At  tlie 
Paragon  there  exists  an  upper  streak  of  pay  gravel  150  feet  above  the  bedrock.  Thus 
was  followed  for  2000  feet  until  cut  off  by  a  channel  of  intervolcanic  erosion  tilled 
with  andesitic  tuff.  The  width  of  this  upper  lead  was  225  feet,  the  depth  of  non- 
cemented  pay  gravel  5  feet,  and  the  yield  per  ton  of  loose  gravel  ?4.o0.  The  total 
yield  was  $900,000.  The  mine  has  been  operated  for  3G  years,  and  the  channels  are 
said  to  be  nearly  worked  out.  ,     *  ^r-  v,- 

"\  portion  of  what  is  doubtless  the  same  channel  has  been  preserved  at  Michigan 
Bluff  The  deposit  which  covers  about  40  acres  is  composed  of  pure  quartz  gravel ; 
on  tlie  bedrock  lie  huge  rounded  quartz  boulders.  Some  6,000,000  cubic  yards  have 
been  removed  and  a  smaller  quantity  remains.  The  yield  is  reported  to  have  been 
$5  000  000,  some  of  the  ground  being  exceedingly  rich.  The  deposit  bears  the  character 
of  bench  "ravel  At  Sage  Hill  and  Birds  Valley  a  long,  narrow  channel,  with  strong 
southwest^grade,  is  preserved.  The  outlet  of  it  at  Sage  Hill  is  somewhat  lower  than 
Michigan  Bluff  It  has  been  worked  to  some  extent,  but  is  not  so  rich  as  that  at 
Michigan  Bluff.  Much  coarse,  rough  and  crystallized  gold  was  found  here,  as  well  as 
in  Mad  and  Lady  canyons.  .  ,  ,        r.  i    j      tt.     ™ 

"\t  Edwards  Hill  a  small  patch  of  partly  volcanic  gravel  has  been  worked.  From 
here*  north  a  number  of  small  gravel  points  appear,  most  of  which  belong  to  inter- 
volcanic channels.  At  Gas  Hill,  however,  there  is  a  patch  of  the  same  quartz  gravel 
as  is  exposed  at  Michigan  Bluff.  Immediately  to  the  north  it  is  eroded  by  deeper 
volcanic  channels  but  iDetween  Hidden  Treasure  and  Damascus  a  nearly  continuous 
old  prevolcanic  channel,  having  a  grade  of  70  feet  per  mile  southward,  has  been  found 
under  the  lava  cap.  This  is  a  wide,  flat  channel,  filled  with  about  200  feet  of  non- 
cemented  quartz  gravel,  sand  and  clay.  The  material  is  decidedly  finer  than  that  of 
the  Bath-Mayflower  channel,  although  some  quartz  boulders  may  be  found  on  the  bed- 
rock. It  is  cut  off  bv  two  deeper  intervolcanic  channels,  one  a  mile  south  of  Damascus : 
another  one  and  a  half  miles  north  of  Sunny  South.  Between  these  a  fragment  of  the 
old  white  channel  remains.  This  channel  was  first  found  at  Damascus  and  drifted  on 
until  cut  off  bv  the  intervolcanic  channel  mentioned.  The  yield  of  this  part  is  reported 
to  be  $6,000,000.  From  Sunnv  South  the  Hidden  Treasure  mine  has  worked  the 
deposit  7700  feet  northward,  width  of  gravel  breasted  250  feet,  depth  4  to  7  feet, 
yield  of  loose  gravel  delivered  $1.75  per  ton.  The  total  yield  to  1890  was  $1,150,000, 
and  up  to  1S9S  probably  nearly  $2,000,000.  Since  that  time  the  operations  at  Sunny 
South  have  been  discontinued,  and  another  tunnel  has  been  started  at  the  Dam  claim, 
one  mile  farther  north,  from  which  the  fragment  of  channel  remaining  between  the 
volcanic  channels  is  not  being  mined.  The  mine  has  been  worked  for  23  years. 
*****  *  * 

"The  general  Neocene  drainage  of  this  quadrangle  has  been  roughly  considered 
under  the  heading  of  auriferous  gravels,  but  it  remains  to  indicate  in  a  more  detailed 
way  the  connection  of  tlie  channels  of  the  southern  part  of  the  area  with  those  of  the 
region  between  Dutch  Flat  and  North  Columbia. 

"There  is  not  the  slightest  doubt  that  a  river,  corresponding  roughly  to  the  present 
middle  fork  of  the  American,  had  its  source  near  Castle  Peak,  thence  flowed  across 
to  Soda  Springs,  and  approximately  followed  the  present  middle  fork,  entering  this 
quadrangle  under  the  ridge  between  Long  Canyon  and  the  middle  fork,  and  in  the 
southern  portion  of  this  ridge  curving  into  the  Placei-ville  quadrangle.  It  entered  the 
Colfax  quadrangle  again  a  few  miles  west  of  this,  and  the  channel  emerged  from  under 
the  volcanic  capping  at  Ralstons.  A  tributary  from  the  Duncan  Peak  region  joined  it 
with  a  general  southerly  direction.  From  Ralstons  much  of  it  eroded,  but  it  may  be 
regarded  as  certain  that  the  main  channel  continued  westward,  touching  Michigan 
Bluff  and  Sage  Hill,  here  receiving  an  important  tributary,  running  nearly  due  south 
from  Damascus.  The  deposits  of  this  latter  channel  are  preserved  below  the  lava 
ridge,  between  Dama.scus  and  Gas  Hill.  Near  the  latter  point  it  receives  a  tributary 
from  Last  Chance  and  Deadwood. 

"Again  east  of  Michigan  Bluff  the  channel  is  eroded,  but  it  is  certain  that  its 
continuation  is  found  at  Bath,  whence  the  main  channel  ran  through  the  Mayflower. 
Here  it  made  a  wide  curve  and  ran  soutliward  to  Forest  Hill  and  the  Dardanelles. 
Thus  far  the  general  course  is  outlined  without  uncertainty,  but  from  here  on  the  diffi- 
culty begins.  This  main  channel  is  marked  by  its  heavy  deposits  of  gravel  and  clay, 
and  its  broad  well-defined  channel.  Under  the  southwestern  prolongation  of  the  Forest 
Hill  lava  ridge  nothing  has  thus  far  been  found  which  would  indicate  that  the  main 
old  river  channel  flowed  down  in  this  direction.  It  is  true  that  a  narrow  channel  of 
the  intervolcanic  epoch  continues  down  in  this  direction,  but  these  channels  were 
notably  independent  of  the  older  and  main  drainage  basins.  The  intervolcanic  channels 
were  excavated  after  a  large  part  of  the  old  river  basin  had  been  filled  by  accumula- 
tions of  silt  and  volcanic  mud.  and  nrobablv  also  after  the  tilting  of  the  Sierra  Nevadas 
had  taken  place.  Their  direction,  then,  offers  no  criterion  of  the  prevolcanic  drainage 
lines.  It  would  cert,ainly  seem  as  if  some  fragments  of  the  accumulations  of  the  old 
channels  would  have  been  preserved  southwest  of  the  Dardanelles  had  the  ch.annel 
taken  this  course.  Tlie  gravels -exposed  at  Todd  Valley  offer  no  solution  of  the  prob- 
lem, for  they  are  at  a  higher  level  and  evidently  represent  a  bencli  filled  with  gravel 
after  the  clogging  of  the  main  channel. 

"TlK-rc  is.  however,  a  solution  of  this  problem,  which  is  advanced  as  having  many 
plausible  points,  though  it  can  not  be  said  to  be  free  from  all  obiections.  This  Is,  that 
the  old   channel  of  the  Forest  Hill   divide  emerges  at  Yankee  Jim   and  Georgia  Hill, 


138  CALIFORNIA   STATE    MINING   BUREAU. 

and  that  its  course  from  there  is  northward  to  Wisconsin  Hill,  thence  through  the  lava 
ridge  and  curving  eastward  to  the  Morning  Star  mine,  thence  to  Iowa  Hill,  crossing 
the  canyon  of  the  present  river  to  Indiana  Hill  and  from  there  northward  to  Dutch 
Flat,  whence  its  course  has  already  been  established.  This  hypotliesis,  in  the  first 
place,  necessitates  the  existence  of  a  deep  and  continuous  channel  between  Dutch  Flat 
and  Indiana  Hill.  That  such  a  deep  channel  exists  appears  now  very  probable  and 
may  be  regarded  as  certain  if  the  development  south  of  Dutch  F'lat  and  Squires 
Canyon  will  sliow  the  existence  of  a  deep  trough  at  this  place,  which  it  has  been 
asserted  was  found  by  the  exploration.  One  of  the  principal  difficulties  appears  to  be 
the  fact  that  the  eravel  at  Georgia  Hill  and  Yankee  Jim  differs  somewhat  in  character 
from  that  of  the  Mayflower  and  Forest  Hill.  This  may  be  explained  by  the  fact  that 
the  river  at  this  point  spreads  over  a  larger  and  flatter  bottom,  whicli  would  naturally 
influence  the  character  of  its  deposit. 

"The  difficulty,  which  at  first  glance  appears  to  be  an  insuperable  one,  that  is,  that 
of  the  grades,  on  closer  examination,  converts  itself  into  an  argument  in  favor  of  this 
hypothesis.  From  the  Dardanelles  to  the  Yankee  Jim  is  a  slight  grade  which  is  suffi- 
cient for  the  requirements.  From  Yankee  Jim  to  Wisconsin  Hill  the  channel  would  at 
present  have  a  slight  upward  grade.  From  Wisconsin  Hill  to  Iowa  Hill  it  is  appar- 
ently approximately  level.  From  Iowa  Hill  to  Indiana  Hill  it  has  a  slight  southward 
grade  and  similarly  from  Dutch  Flat  to  Indiana  Hill  is  a  grade  which,  though  slight, 
is  opposite  to  that  which  the  river,  according  to  this  hypothesis,  would  have  had. 

"From  Yankee  Jim  to  Dutch  Flat  the  Neocene  river  would  have  pursued  a  nearly 
due  northerly  course ;  now  it  is  likely  that  this  river  from  Yankee  Jim  to  Dutch  Flat 
had  originally  a  very  slight  grade  northward,  similar  to  that  of  the  Neocene  river 
between  You  Bet  and  North  Columbia.  Examinations  of  channels  in  various  parts  of 
the  Sierra  Nevadas  have  shown  the  occurrence  of  a  tilting  movement  which  has 
affected  the  grades  of  the  channels  according  to  their  direction.  Channels  running 
north  northwest  to  south  soutlieast  would  retain  their  original  slight  grade.  Those 
running  west  of  this  line  would  have  their  grades  materially  increased  by  the  tilting. 
On  the  other  hand,  those  flowing  in  a  more  or  less  easterly  direction  from  this  axis  of 
tilting  would  have  their  gTade  decreased  or  even  reversed.  A  c^ose  examination  of 
the  elevations  of  Indiana  Hill.  Dutch  Flat,  Iowa  Hill.  Wisconsin  Hill,  and  Yankee  Jim 
will  show  that,  in  fact,  the  present  level  character  or  slight  southward  gi-ade  of  these 
channels  is  exactly  what  would  follow  if  the  Neocene  river  with  a  northerly  course 
had  participated  in  a  westward  tilting  of  the  block  of  the  Sierra  Nevadas,  amounting 
to  about  60  or  70  feet  per  mile. 

"If  this  hypothesis  be  true,  it  solves  in  an  exceedingly  satisfactory  way,  a  number 
of  the  perplexing  problems  which  were  presented  by  the  enormous  accumulation  of 
gravels  in  the  drainage  of  the  old  Yuba  River.  It  increases  vastly  the  watershed  of 
the  Neocene  stream,  which  as  now  outlined  extends  from  the  headwaters  of  the  north 
fork  of  the  Yuba.  The  waters  of  all  this  territory  found  an  outlet  through  the  narrow 
channel  from  North  San  Juan  to  Smartsville.  In  the  central  part  of  this  drainage  area 
longitudinal  depressions  existed,  bordered  on  the  west  by  the  high  diabase  ridges  of 
the  foothills.  All  these  conditions  naturally  tended  greatly  to  increase  the  accumula- 
tion of  gravel.  What  has  formerly  been  supposed  to  be  the  north  fork  of  the  Neocene 
American  River  now  becomes  the  south  fork  of  the  great  Neocene  Yuba  River.  The 
Neocene  American  River  is  reduced  in  size,  and  consists  only  of  the  stream  coming 
down  from  Pyramid  Peak  by  way  of  Placerville. 

"During  a  rather  long  interval  between  rhyolitic  and  andesitic  flows  new  channel 
courses  were  established.  A  disturbance  had  taken  place  that  increased  the  slope  of 
the  Sierra  Nevadas  and  the  streams  began  active  cutting  ;  thus  on  the  Forest  Hill  divide 
there  exists  a  complicated  system  of  narrow,  deep  channels,  which  in  many  places  have 
destroyed  the  old  "ones.  These  intervolcanic  channels,  often  called  cement  channels, 
belong  to  at  least  two  systems,  the  younger  being  characterized  by  a  large  amount  of 
coarse  volcanic  gravel,  rarely  containing  much  gold,  and  having  been  formed  after 
the  first  andesitic  flows  had  already  invaded  this  region.  The  older  system  carries 
thin,  mixed  metamorphic  and  volcanic  gravel,  rarely  more  than  ten  feet  thick,  there 
being  no  gravel  at  all  along  certain  parts  of  the  streams.  This  gravel  lies  on  the 
naked  bedrock,  and  is  covered  by  a  series  of  flows  of  andesitic  tuff,  the  lowest  usually 
fine-grained,  and  referred  to  as  chocolate  or  ceinent:  the  upper  flow  consists  of  the 
\isual  tuffaceous  breccia.  Strata  of  gravel  and  sand  of  mixed  character,  volcanic  and 
metamorphic,  are  often  found  interbedded  with  the  andestitic  tuff.  Wherever  the 
intervolcanic  channels  have  robbed  the  old  channels,  they  are  likely  to  be  rich,  thousrh 
irregular  as  to  their  pay.  Some  of  them,  however,  have  been  found  unexpectedly 
poor.  The  gold  is  usually  coarse.  The  upper  gravels  in  the  andestitic  tuff  sometimes 
carry  gold,  though  seldom  enough  to  pay  for  drifting.  Some  of  the  volcanic  channels 
have  not  only  cut  through  the  old  channels  but  have  eroded  small  canyons  in  the  bed- 
rock up  to  a  depth  of  150  feet.  One  of  the  most  conspicuous  of  these  crosses  Volcano 
Canyon,  and  is  exposed  by  the  Hazard  shaft.  The  grade  of  these  channels  is  always 
steep,  usually  from  70  feet  per  mile  upward. 

"A  whole  channel  system,  belonging  to  this  period,  is  buried  below  the  lava  of 
Forest  Hill  divide.  The  principal  channel  can  be  traced  almost  continuously  from  the 
Weske  tunnel,  above  Michigan  Bluff,  down  to  the  outlet  of  Peckham  Hill.  It  cuts 
the  old  channel  several  times,  and  receives  numerous  tributaries,  preserving  through- 
out the  same  character  of  a  deep  erosion  channel,  sometimes  barely  reaching  the  bed- 
rock, sometimes  cutting  deeply  into  it. 

"At  Peckham  Hill  and  Blue  Gravel  shaft,  in  the  Placerville  quadrangle,  it  has  been 
opened  but  apparently  does  not  pay.  For  2i  miles  north  of  Peckham  Hill  it  has  not  been 
bottomed,  but  at  Gray  Eagle  tunnel  it  has  been  opened  by  a  tunnel  from  Owl  Creek, 
2.')00  feet  long,  and  a  shaft  .360  feet  deep.  Though  somewhat  too  high,  the  tunnel  has 
folloM^ed  the  channel  up  stream  for  sever.il  thousand  fpet.  The  pay  is  snotted,  the 
gravel  thin,  though  often  rich.  In  the  Mayflower  mine,  the  channel  is  again  exposed  ; 
it  is  here  called  tlie  Orono,  and  has  cut  down  to  about  the  level  o^  the  bedrock  in  the 
Mayflower  chaiinel.  From  here  it  has  recentlv  been  worked  for  a  distance  of  2000  feet 
through  the  Mayflower  tunnel.  Again,  a  little  below  the  mouth  of  the  Mayflower 
tunnel,  in  Brushy  Canyon,  a  channel  crosses  the  canyon  at  a  lower  elevation  than  tho 


GOLD   PLACERS   OF    C^VLIFORNLi.  139 

Mayflower,  called  tlie  Live  Oak.  It  has  been  drifted  upon  northward  for  2000  feet. 
Southward  It  probably  joins  the  Orono  channel.  Below  the  volcanic  capping,  between 
the  forks  of  Brushy  Canyon,  are  several  intervolcanic  cliannels,  such  as  the  Adams, 
Nil  Desperandum,  Westchester,  Black  Hawk,  and  Wassen,  the  relations  of  which  are 
little   known.  . 

"Farther  east  the  main  channel  is  again  found  in  the  Paragon  mine,  where  it  has 
not  quite  cut  down  to  the  bottom  of  the  old  channel.  Again  it  is  exposed  where  it 
crosses  Volcano  Canyon,  in  which  the  Hazard  shaft  has  been  sunk  180  feet;  the 
narrow  channel  was  followed  west  for  3000  feet  and  some  rich  gravel  was  found. 
Above  there  are  about  two  miles  in  which  the  channel  has  not  been  exposed,  though 
a  deep  tunnel  from  near  Michigan  Bluff  has  been  proposed,  but  above  this,  it  has 
been  drifted  for  over  5000  feet  in  a  westerly  direction  from  the  Weske  tunnel.  In 
spite  of  difficult  working  conditions,  this  enterprise  yielded  excellent  returns,  pro- 
ducing approximately    $7  50,000. 

"A  smaller  intervolcanic  channel,  filled  with  heavy  volcanic  gravel,  crosses  the 
Weske  channel  near  its  inlet  and  thence  continues  some  distance  north.  It  has  not 
been  worked  to  any  extent.  About  a  mile  north  of  the  "V^'eske  channel  a  small  old 
stream  bed  has  been  worked  to  some  extent  from  the  Bowen  and  Oro  tunnels.  The 
latter  is  about  2500  feet  long. 

'•Above  Weske  tunnel,  confronting  El  Dorado  canyon,  there  are  a  number  of  smaller 
gravel  hills,  most  of  which  have  been  hydraulicked.  Among  these  are  Drummonds 
Point,  El  Dorado  Hill,  and  Batchelor  Hill.  The  gravel  at  all  of  these  places  appears 
to  belong  to  the  intervolcanic  epoch,  and  the  deposits  evidently  form  part  of  a  some- 
what complicated  channel  system  near  the  point  where  the  channels  from  Deadwood 
join  those  coming  down  the  main  ridge.  It  is  probable  that  the  channel  on  which  the 
Oro  tunnel  is  driven  finds  its  way  down  below  the  level  ridge  on  the  western  side  of 
the  Hidden  Treasure  tunnel,  but  it  has  not  been  exposed  north  of  the  tunnel  mentioned. 

"A  narrow,  intervolcanic  channel,  with  heavy  volcanic  gravel  and  appai-ently 
barren,  runs  north  for  some  distance  from  Sunny  South,  parallel  but  a  little  east  of 
the  Hidden  Treasure  channel.  At  Sunny  South  it  has  cut  across  the  latter,  obliterat- 
ing it  and  eroding  some  distance  into  the  bedrock  below  the  level  of  the  Hidden 
Treasure.  This  is  the  reason  why  no  quartz  gravel  can  be  seen  cropping  out  at  Sunny 
South.  About  a  mile  south  of  Damascus  the  Mountain  Gate  channel  was  cut  off  by  a 
deeper,  intervolcanic  water  course,  eroded  to  a  depth  of  about  150  feet  below  the  older 
channel.  This  so-called  Blue  channel  was  drifted  from  the  Mountain  Gate  tunnel, 
producing  $175,000.  A  little  over  two  miles  north  of  Sunny  South  the  same  old  chan- 
nel is  cut  to  about  the  same  depth  by  another  intervolcanic  channel,  finding  its  way 
southeasterly  to  the  Dam  claim,  and  thence  for  a  mile  farther  in  the  same  direction 
to  the  Mitche'l  claim.  The  Dam  channel,  though  narrow  and  irregidar,  has  been 
drifted  for  2500  feet  northwest  of  the  point  where  it  crosses  El  Dorado  Canyon.  The 
Mitchell  claim  on  the  same  channel  has  also  been  worked  for  a  distance  of  2000  feet. 
Still  another  intervolcanic  channel,  called  Bob  Lewis  channel,  has  been  worked  for 
1000  feet,  south  of  its  inlet  on  the  east  side  of  the  Mountain  View  channel  at  Damascus. 
The  principal  intervolcanic  channel,  which  probably  continues  from  the  Oro  to  the 
Blue  channel  of  the  Mountain  Gate  tunnel,  has  again  been  exposed  at  Red  Point,  and 
worked  for  a  distance  of  12.000  feet  up  stream  froin  the  Red  Point  tunnel,  which 
strikes  the  channel  2000  feet  from  its  mouth.  The  Red  Point  channel  is  somewhat 
irregular  in  width  and  depth  of  gravel  and  in  pay.  The  average  fall  of  the  channel 
is  75  feet  per  mile.  The  width  of  gravel  breasted  is  120  feet,  the  depth  from  2  to 
12  feet  but  generally  small.  As  delivered  at  the  surface,  the  gravel  contains  52.50 
per  ton.  Volcanic  pebbles  are  of  common  occurrence  in  the  wash  material.  The  Red 
Point  mine  has  been  worked  for  ten  years,  and  during  that  time  has  been  a  steady 
producer.  It  is  immediately  capped  by  the  hard,  andesitic  tuff.  Large  wash  boulders, 
often  two  or  three  feet  in  diameter,  occur  in  the  gravel.  The  total  production  during 
the  five  years  from  18S8  to  1S92  was  $308,000,  and  it  is  believed  that  since  that  time 
an  almost  equal  quantity  has  been  extracted. 

"As  we  approach  the  higher  region  of  the  Sieri-a,  where  accumulations  of  nre- 
volcanic  gravel  were  small  or  did  not  exist  at  all,  the  difficulty  of  distinguishing 
between  prevolcanic  and  intervolcanic  channels  becomes  greater.  Strictly  speaking, 
all  of  the  channels  must  be  considered  as  belonging  to  the  later  group,  as  some 
erosion  necessarilj'  took  place  in  all  of  them  in  which  bedrock  was  exposed.  Going 
UD  tow-ard  Duncan  Peak  we  find  in  general  that  the  grades  of  the  channels  increase 
and  that  they  assume  more  and  more  the  character  of  narrow  tributaries  or  gulches. 

"It  is  believed  that  the  Red  Point  channel  continues  up  the  ridge.  It  has  indeed 
been  exposed  at  the  Hogsback  tunnel  5i  miles  northeast  from  Rel  Point.  The  tunnel 
runs  south-southwest  2500  feet,  exposing  a  very  deep  and  narrow  gorge  with  steep 
westerly  grade ;  and  contains  very  little  gravel.  Though  yielding  some  gold,  the 
channel  was  not  found  to  pay.  About  a  mile  south  of  the  Hogsback  channel  another 
deep  ravine  has  been  exposed  at  the  Greek  mine  and  the  Black  Canyon,  between 
whieh  points  it  is  probably  continuous.  The  Black  Canyon  has  been  worked  for  700 
feet  eastward.  The  channel  is  narrow  and  very  steep,  having  a  grade  of  7  feet  per 
100,  with  several  abrupt  falls.  On  the  bedrock  rests  a  few  feet  of  coarse  gravel, 
containing  very  coarse  gold.  Above  this  lies  50  feet  of  andesitic  tuff,  gravel,  and  sand 
interstratified.  Xo  volcanic  pebbles  were  seen  in  the  gravel  and  the  channel  probably 
belongs  to  the  prevolcanic  period.  The  cost  of  working  this  channel  is  necessarily 
very  high.  The  inlet  of  the  Hogsback  channel  is  probably  found  at  the  low  place  half 
a  mile  north  of  Secret  Canyon  House. 

"Near  Canada  Hill  another  steep,  narrow  channel  has  been  exposed  which  anpears 
to  have  a  very  sharp  northeasterly  grade  and  the  direction  indicated  on  the  man. 
This  channel  probably  crosses  Sailor  Canyon,  entering  the  Truckee  quadrangle,  and 
then  joins  the  main  channel,  following  approximately  the  Middle  Fork  of  the  Ameri- 
can .somewhere  near  French  Meadows.  The  western  end  of  the  Canada  Hill  channel 
is  not  covered  bv  volcanic  rocks  but  by  heavy  morainal  detritus.  A  short  dist.ance 
eastward  the  volcanic  rocks  begin  and  cover  it  to  a  depth  of  about  100  feet  at  the 
Reed  mine,  a  half  mile  east  of  its  beginning.  A  few  feet  of  poorly  washed  gravel  are 
found  in  the  bottom  of  the  channel,  above  which  are  a  few  feet  of  clay  containing 


l40  CALIFORNIA   STATE    MINING   BUREAU. 

farbonized  wool!.  Above  Ibis  lies  a  little  massive  vbyolite  eoveietl  by  heavy  masses 
of  andesitic  breccia.  This  cbannel  has  been  successfully  drifted  and  in  places  hydrau- 
licked  as  far  as  the  place  where  it  enters  the  high  volcanic  rid^e.  It  is  believed  to 
continue  with  steep  grade  imderneath  this  ridge,  and  its  outlet  has  probably  been 
found  at  the  Sailor  Canyon  mine  two  miles  northeast  of  Canada  Hill.  At  this  place 
bedrock  tunnels  have  shown  the  existence  of  a  narrow  channel  containing  ang-ular, 
pQorly  washed  gravel  covered  with  a  dark  clay.  The  relations  at  this  place  are  some- 
what obscured  by  considerable  masses  of  morainal  material. 

"Deadwood  Ridge  is  crossed  by  channels  belonging  to  both  the  earlier  and  later 
periods,  which  have  been  extensively  worked.  The  older  channel  is  believed  to  enter 
the  ridge  somewhat  south  of  the  Devils  Basin,  and  finds  its  outlet  half  a  mile  north 
of  Deadwood.  It  is  characterized  by  thicker  gravel  bodies  containing  large  boulders 
of  quartz  and  metamorphic  rocks.  This  channel  has  been  worked  from  the  Rattle- 
snake mine  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  ridge,  and  from  Reed's  and  Hornbush's  tunnels 
on  the  western  side.  The  principal  intervolcanic  channel  has  its  inlet  at  the  Devils 
Basin,  and  has  been  worked  from  there  for  a  distance  of  half  a  mile,  yielding  very 
rich  returns.  The  thickness  of  the  gravel  is  said  to  average  two  and  a  half  feet.  The 
outlet  of  this  channel  is  probably  3000  feet  north  of  Deadwood,  and  somewhat  lower 
than  the  adjoining  outlet  of  the  older  channel.  From  this  side  it  has  been  worked 
3000  feet  eastward  without,  however,  connecting  with  the  basin  tunnel.  A  second 
intervolcanic  channel  enters  the  ridge  south  of  Deadwood  and  runs  in  a  northerly 
direction.     It  has  been  followed  down  .stream  for  3000  feet. 

"At  Last  Chance  several  channels  are  known  to  occur  and  have  been  drifted  for  a 
considerable  distance,  although  some  ground  is  yet  unopened.  As  at  Deadwood  there 
is  a  prevolcanic  channel  and  several  intervolcanic  channels.  Both  classes  follow 
approximatelv  the  same  course,  though  the  intervolcanic  channels  are  about  20  feet 
lower  than  the  others.  The  gravel  and  its  covering  material  are  similar  in  character 
to  that  of  Deadwood.  The  upper  continuation  of  the  Last  Chance  channel  may  prob- 
ably be  found  at  American  Hill  on  the  ridge  between  Lost  Canyon  and  Antone  Canyon. 

"Below  the  volcanic  areas,  south  of  Duncan  Peak,  narrow  and  deep  channels  have 
been  found  which,  however,  have  not  thus  far  yielded  much.  One  of  these  extends  from 
Flat  Ravine  southward  for  IJ  miles.  It  has  been  opened  by  tunnels  at  both  ends  and 
worked  to  some  extent.  Another  channel  is  exposed  by  the  Abrams  tunnel  on  the 
west  side  of  Duncan  Canyon.  This  branch  probably  joins  that  from  Flat  Ravine  and, 
crossing  under  the  lava  ridge  between  Duncan  Canyon  and  the  middle  fork  of  the 
American,  becomes  a  tributary  of  the  main  Long  Canyon  channel.  Depressions  indi- 
cating channels  also  exist  below  the  andesite  areas  of  Big  Oak  Flat." 

In  the  above  described  area  there  is  still  a  great  deal  of  virgin  ground 
on  which  some  drift  mines  may  possibly  be  developed.  The  course  of 
the  old  Breeee  and  Wheeler  channel,  where  it  goes  through  the  lava 
caps  of  Nevada  Point,  of  Devils  Peak  and  of  the  Ralston  Divide,  offers 
an  opportunity  for  some  profitable  drift  mines.  The  Glenn  Mine,  on 
the  channel  coming  down  from  Flat  Ravine,  has  produced  considerable 
money  in  the  course  of  the  last  two  years,  and  it  is  quite  possible  that 
some  of  the  other  tributary  channels  may  be  well  worth  developing. 
In  commencing  drift  operations  the  primary  distinction  to  be  made  is 
that  between  the  prevolcanic  or  Cretaceous  cliannels  and  the  inter- 
volcanic or  Tertiary  cliannels,  which  latter  are  of  little  importance  from 
an  economic  standpoint,  except  where  they  may  have  rob])ed  gold  from 
the  older  channels. 

There  remains  to  be  spoken  of,  in  connection  with  this  channel 
system,  a  tributary  on  the  north  side  of  the  main  ancient  river  which 
comes  in  near  Badger  Plill  and  can  be  traced  up  the  ridge  between 
Oregon  Creek  and  the  Middle  Fork  of  the  present  Yuba.  This  channel 
has  been  w^orked  at  Grizzly  Gulch,  at  Tippecanoe  and  at  Nigger  Tent, 
and  possibly  contains  some  ground  yet  which  would  pay  to  drift. 

In  addition  to  this,  we  have  the  Nevada  City  and  the  Grass  Valley 
channel  systems  which  are  more  or  less  worked  out,  but  which  have 
produced  a  great  deal  of  gold. 

Coming  l)ack  to  the  Nevada  City  and  Grass  Valley  region,  we  have 
a  large  tributary  entering  the  main  channel  at  or  near  Mooney  Flat 
above  Smartsvilie.  This  channel  has  been  eroded  along  Negro  Creek, 
but  appears  as  hydraulic  diggings  on  the  south  side  of  the  ridge  between 
Negro  Creek  and  Deer  Creek.  From  here  on  it  can  be  traced  through 
Randolph  Flat,  where  it  is  joined  by  a  tributary  from  the  southeast, 
known  as  the  Old  Alta  Hill  channel.     This  channel  can  be  traced 


GOLD  PLACERS  OP  CALIFORNIA.  I4l 

directly  under  tlie  town  of  Grass  A^alley  and  soutlieasterly  by  way  of 
Osborne  Hill.  Another  channel,  cominsr  down  from  Kres  across  the 
head  of  Little  Greenhorn  Creek,  joins  this  channel  at  or  near  Grass 
Valley.  Still  another  one  comes  down  from  Banner  Hill  in  a  south- 
westerly direction.  A  westward  flowing  channel  from  Crystal  Spring 
comes  through  the  Towntalk  Ridge  and  joins  this  channel  near  Ran- 
dolph Flat.  Still  another  from  the  Harmony  Ridge,  passing  through 
Nevada  City  in  a  southwesterly  direction,  undoubtedly  joined  this 
same  s.vstem  at  or  near  Randolph  Flat.  On  the  other  hand,  a  large  por- 
tion of  this  drainage  from  Nevada  City  undoubtedly  flowed  northerly 
and  westerly  through  ]\Iontezuma  Hill;  thence  southwesterly  through 
Bunker  Hill,  across  the  south  fork  of  the  Yuba  River  in  the  general 
direction  of  Kentucky  Ravine.  Still  another  cement  channel  runs 
across  through  Shelby  toward  Jones  Bar. 

Practically  all  of  the  Grass  Valley  and  Nevada  City  systems  is  now  of 
little  economic  importance,  as  the  richest  of  the  drift  ground  has  been 
worked  out,  and  only  the  Tertiary  and  cement  channels  remain  virgin. 
The  accompanying  map  shows  the  general  distribution  of  these  systems. 

The  area  described  in  what  is  known  as  the  Colfax  cpiadrangle  prob- 
ably contains  the  most  important  bodies  of  hydraulic  gravel  yet  remain- 
ing in  the  State  of  California.  In  the  Downieville  quadrangle  to  the 
north,  there  are  large  areas  of  higher  grade  gravel,  but  they  are  not 
nearly  so  extensive. 

It  has  already  been  mentioned  that  in  tliis  area  evidence  of  the 
glacial  origin  of  the  Cretaceous  white  gravel  channels  is  so  clearly 
manifest  that  it  can  not  be  overlooked.  A  sketch  or  profile  showing  the 
elevation  of  the  Tertiary  Yuba  from  Badger  Hill  to  iMichigan  Bluff  is 
inclosed.  The  data  for  this  profile  were  taken  from  Professional  Paper 
73  and  maps  of  the  U.  S.  Geological  Survey,  supplemented  by  detailed 
])rivate  surveys  and  other  data.  The  projected  fault  corresponds  to 
the  North  Bloomfield  fault.  The  diverging  of  the  Tertiary  South  Yuba 
and  American  channels  from  a  common  source  and  the  occurrence  of 
diverging  runs  with  apparently  different  courses  in  the  same  channel 
system  can  be  paralleled  among  the  glacial  channels  in  Alaska. 

The  top  gradients  of  the  gravel  channels  are  such  as  prevail  on  the 
debris  dei)Osits  resulting  from  operating  the  hydraulic  mines. 

This  profile  was  prepared  to  accompany  a  paper  upon  the  origin  and 
deposition  of  the  gravel  deposits,  which  is  now  in  preparation  by 
Mr.  W.  AY.  Waggoner  of  Nevada  City. 

It  will  be  noted  upon  the  small-scale  map  of  the  Sierra  channels  at 
the  conclusion  of  this  report  that  in  many  places  these  diverging  and 
converging  channels  appear  to  run  uphill.  The  fact  that  these  channels 
are  originally  of  glacial  origin,  explains  very  clearly  what  can  not  be 
explained  by  a.ssuming  a  pure  fluviatile  origin.  This  is  the  difficulty 
which  can  not  be  surmounted  by  advocates  of  the  pure  stream  bed 
theory  of  origin  of  tliese  channels.  A  notable  case  in  point  is  the  system 
of  channels  at  Little  Grass  Valley  in  the  La  Porte  district.  Fi-oin  the 
^rcFarland  ]\Iine  above  La  Porte  it  is  noted  that  the  shingling  of 
the  gravel  appears  to  have  two  directions  from  one  high  point  in  the 
bedrock.  In  connection  with  this  district,  a  sketch  map.  made  by 
Mr.  Stretch,  an  old-time  engineer  and  surveyor  who  resided  in  the 
district  for  many  yeare,  is  submitted.     See  Plate  II.     This  sketch,  to 


'/f.'U  o/9'^'y/«0 


GOLD    PLACKRS    OF    CATJFORNiA.  148 

the  writer's  iiiind,  contains  more  aecurjitc  inroniuitioii  with  reiiai-d  to 
the  c'oursea  of  these  channels  than  is  obtainalile  from  any  otlier  source, 
and  proves  almost  conclusively  the  original  glacial  origin  of  the  channels 
in  the  higher  Sierras,  together  with  subseciuent  stream  distribution  of 
the  gravels. 

The  region  discussed  in  this  section  is  probably  tlie  most  important 
from  an  economic  standpoint  of  any  of  the  placer  mining  ground 
remaining  in  the  state.  The  water  rights  controlling  this  section  and 
the  ditches  governing  it  are  larsely  in  the  hands  of  private  power  cor- 
])orations  and  public  service  utilities.  For  this  reason  it  might  possibly 
be  thought  that  the  operation  of  the  hydraulic  mining  in  this  region 
would  be  opposed  to  the  interests  of  the  big  power  companies.  As  a 
matter  of  fact  this  is  not  the  case  for  the  reason  that  not  one-tenth  of 
the  water  available  during  the  hydraulic  mining  season  is  now  being 
used  by  the  power  and  irrigation  companies.  During  the  months  from 
December  until  June  the  excess  water  going  down  the  Yuba  and  the 
American  rivers  is  several  times  the  amount  which  would  be  required 
to  wash  all  the  available  gravel  in  this  region,  large  as  that  amount  may 
seem. 

The  increasing  of  water  storage  facilities,  the  building  of  the 
impounding  dams  necessary  for  holding  not  only  the  miner's  tailings 
but  the  natural  erosion,  which  far  exceeds  Avhat  the  miner  develops, 
will  furnish  to  both  the  power  and  the  irrigation  companies  Avater  and 
power  far  in  excess  of  an}-  of  their  needs  for  many  years  to  come,  and 
the  mutual  benefit  derived  therefrom  will  result  in  the  complete 
harmony  of  all  apparently  conflicting  interests. 

During  Cretaceous  times  the  equivalent  of  the  American  River  was 
undoubtedly  much  smaller  than  the  present  stream,  as  the  greater 
portion  of  the  area  now  drained  by  the  north  and  middle  forks  Avas 
then  drained  by  the  great  south  fork  of  the  Cretaceous  Yuba.  The 
lower  drainage  of  the  American  is  now  expressed  in  channels  of  two 
types;  one  lying  deep  under  the  Quaternary  alluvials  of  the  present 
Sacramento  Valley  between  Roseville  and  Au1)urn,  and  the  .second  or 
intervolcanic  phase  lying  along  Boulder  Ridge.  Both  of  these,  by  their 
erosion,  have  created  a  certain  enrichment  among  the  Quaternary 
gravels,  which  is  of  some  economic  importance,  in  the  neighborhood 
of  Loomis  there  is  a  very  considerable  body  of  gravel  which  will  run 
from  20  to  30  cents  a  yard,  in  which  the  values  have  evidently  been 
concentrated  by  the  erosion  of  the  original  shore  gravels.  This  con- 
centration was  of  irregular  depth,  in  most  places,  l)eing  quite  shallow, 
and  covers  several  thousand  acres  in  the  aggregate.  It  might  p()ssil)ly 
be  worked  by  an  adai)tation  of  the  hydraulic  method,  with  centrifugal 
pump  stepped  into  the  line  to  furnish  pressure.  It  is  possible  also  that 
some  of  this  gravel  might  be  worked  by  the  use  of  steam  shovels  or 
other  mechanical  handling. 

Tlie  original  Cretaceous  channel  of  the  American  River  prol)ably  had 
its  outlet  somewhere  near  what  is  now  Secret  Ravine  just  east  of  Rose- 
ville.  Going  uji  stream  in  a  northeasterly  direction  we  And  traces  of 
the  channel  southwest  of  Loomis  and  at  Rattlesnake  Bridge.  From  here 
the  channel  runs  almost  due  north  to  Auburn,  where  it  makes  a  sharp 
bend  southward  again  across  Knicker])()cker  Creek  to  Pilot  Hill.  The 
Tertiary  phase  of  this  chanud  is  expi-cssed  on  Boulder  Ridge  aud  tiic 

10 — 2SG03 


144  CALIFORNIA    STATE    MINING    BUREAU. 

rid,!;'e  to  tlie  north  of  Duteli  Ravine.  Some  eoiiceiLtration  from  this 
sluice  i'ol)l)er  cliainic]  was  res])onsihle  for  the  phieer  (lig.yinffs  at  Gold 
Hill  and  at  ()])hir,  altlioiigh  local  stringer  enrichment  was  also 
responsible  for  a  large  part  of  the  values. 

In  the  vicinity  of  Auburn  some  possible  drift  ground  still  remains 
in  the  old  channel  where  it  has  not  been  cut  away  by  the  intervolcanic 
channel,  and  lower  down  near  Loomis  are  several  acres  of  good 
hydraulic  elevator  ground,  which  is  fed  from  this  channel.  From  Pilot 
ITill  in  a  southwesterly  direction  traces  of  this  channel  can  be  found 
near  Clark  Mountain  and  at  Thompson  Hill  and  Granite  Hill  southerly 
from  Coloina.  It  does  not,  however,  find  its  fullest  expression  again 
until  it  reaches  the  Placerville  district.  In  this  neighborhood  there  has 
been  a  great  deal  of  enrichment  due  to  the  erosion  of  the  original 
Cretaceous  channel. 

The  Placerville  district,  situated  on  tlie  ridge  between  the  south  fork 
of  the  American  River  and  Webber  Creek,  has  been  a  very  rich  field. 
The  modern  drainage,  enriched  by  the  eroded  gravels,  probably  yielded 
the  larger  proportion  of  the  gold  which  has  been  taken  out,  but  con- 
siderable money  was  derived  from  drifting.  It  is  estimated  that  about 
$25,000,000  has  been  produced  from  this  area.  A  very  full  description 
of  this  area  is  given  in  Professional  Paper  73  of  the  U.  S.  Geological 
Survey,  to  which  the  reader  is  referred  for  further  information. 

The  original  channel,  which  fed  the  Placerville  Basin,  has  never  been 
l)ottomed  from  Texas  Hill  west,  and  this  could  only  be  done  by  a  long 
tunnel  on  the  "Webber  Creek  side.  Webber  Creek  itself  offers  some 
dredging  possibilities  due  to  the  old  tailings  which  have  been  reeon- 
centrated  therein  from  the  washings  of  the  Placerville  district.  Dredg- 
ing operations,  however,  might  possibly  be  hampered  by  the  narrowness 
of  the  Webber  Creek  channel  at  irregular  intervals.  In  the  neighbor- 
hood of  White  Rock  Canyon,  immediately  north  of  Placerville,  and  in 
Randolph  Canyon,  is  still  some  good  hydraulic  ground.  In  the  former 
section  mention  was  made  of  two  tributary  channels  which  came  in 
from  the  north  and  were  mostly  eroded  by  the  drainage  of  Rock  Creek 
and  of  Silver  Creek.  Undoubtedly  the  channel  which  came  down  from 
Kentucky  Flat  contributed  very  greatly  to  the  enrichment  of  the 
Placerville  district,  as  it  crossed  the  pocket  belt  which  extends  in  a 
general  Avay  from  the  Georgetown  district  down  toward  Placerville. 
The  district  immediately  north  and  south  of  Georgetown  has  produced 
a  great  deal  from  pocket  mines,  and  the  erosion  of  gravels  of  modern 
streams  still  contain  a  very  considerable  gold  content.  From  Placer- 
ville east  to  Newtown  this  channel  crossed  the  north  fork  and  the  south 
fork  of  Webber  Creek.  At  Newtown  considerable  hydraulic  mining 
was  done.  A  branch  apparently  came  into  this  channel  from  Pleasant 
Valley,  which  contains  a  very  large  quantity  of  gravel,  in  portions  of 
which  dredgeable  areas  could  undoubtedly  be  segregated.  This  is 
especially  true  of  the  region  around  Newtown  and  immediately  to  the 
south.  From  Newtown  on,  this  channel  passed  in  a  northwesterly  direc- 
tion on  the  ridge  between  the  south  and  north  forks  of  Webber  Creek, 
and  may  be  picked  up  at  Clayton  and  again  near  Pacific  House,  where 
it  has  been  drifted  more  or  less  unsuccessfully.  It  was  joined  from  the 
north  l)y  the  Silver  Creek  tributary,  both  forks  of  which  had  their 
origin  on  Pilot  Creek  above  and  below  Forni's  Ranch.     From  Pacific 


GOLD  PLACERS  OP  CALIFORNIA.  145 

House  ii  cliaiuu'l  cnii  Ik-  traced  in  the  canyon  of  tli(>  Soulli  Fork  of  tlic 
American  River  on  either  side  almost  up  to  Ralston  Peak,  but  is  of  little 
economic  importance.  A  tril)utary  from  the  south  joins  this  channel 
near  Bullion  Bend,  which  probably  had  its  orig'in  near  Round  Top  and 
came  down  througli  Ilell's  Deliglit  Valley. 

From  an  economic  standpoint  by  far  the  most  important  portion  of 
this  channel  lies  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Placerville  Basin. 
Apparently  there  still  remains  a  possibility  of  drifting  in  this  district, 
which  might  be  profital)le  if  drainage  could  be  gained  at  the  bottom  of 
the  Deep  Blue  lead.  To  the  northwest  of  Placerville  the  whole  of  this 
stretch  has  been  drifted  except  for  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  south  of 
the  Gas  Pipe  claim.  According  to  Lindgren,  from  Smith  Flat  to  Alta 
near  the  Landaker  tunnel,  the  channel's  general  course  is  from  east 
northeast  to  west  southwest  for  about  two  miles.  The  grade  from 
White  Rock  to  Prospect  Flat  is  39  feet  to  the  mile ;  from  Prospect  Flat 
to  the  Linden  Mine  the  grade  is  53  feet  to  the  mile,  but  from  Texas  Hill 
on  southwesterly  the  channel  has  never  been  bottomed  and  the  grades 
are  unknown. 

As  there  is  very  little  of  value  from  an  economic  standpoint  on  this 
channel,  it  is  hardly  worth  while  to  go  into  much  more  detail  regarding 
it.  The  reader  is  referred  again  to  Lindgren  and  to  Whitney's  orig- 
inal report  on  the  auriferous  gravels  of  California  for  information 
which  may  have  a  historic  value,  if  not  an  economic  one. 

The  large  dredging  field  in  the  delta  gravels  around  Folsom  has  been 
described  in  detail  many  times.  The  reader  is  again  referred  to  the 
bibliography. 

Section  4. 
cosumnes,    mokelumne,   calaveras   and   stanislaus    rivers. 

Along  the  old  shore  line,  considerably  north  and  even  a  little  south 
of  lone,  is  very  much  delta  gravel  which  has  been  deposited  by  the 
ancient  river  in  its  migratory  discharge.  Where  modern  gulch  erosion 
concentrated  these  shore  gravels  a  very  considerable  proportion  of  it 
was  worked  in  a  small  way.  It  might  still  be  possible  to  handle  some 
of  these  shore  gravels  at  a  profit. 

The  lower  reaches  of  this  river  are  almost  entirely  eroded  above  lone, 
although  the  junction  of  its  north  and  south  forks  left  a  little  gravel 
at  Irish  Hill.  Above  this,  on  both  forks,  the  channel  is  nearly  always, 
where  present,  heavily  lava  capped  except  on  the  upper  reaches  of  the 
north  fork,  and  also  near  Volcano  on  the  south. 

At  Oleta  the  north  fork  is  concentrated  into  the  gulch  made  by 
modern  erosion,  and  very  good  placer  diggings  resulted.  Below  Oleta 
the  channel  is  found  in  place.  Following  up  stream  by  way  of  Aukum 
it  passes  west  of  Cedar  Creek  to  Fair  Play.  Above  Fair  Play  modern 
erosion  again  produced  a  concentration  in  the  gulches  on  both  sides 
of  the  7nain  river.  At  Omo  Ranch  the  channel  is  again  lava  capped,  also 
at  Slug  Gulch.  There  is  considerable  virgin  drift  ground  here  whicli 
has  some  possibilities ;  in  many  places,  however,  the  gravel  has  been  so 
completely  cut  out  by  the  lava  flows  that,  even  including  bedrock  pay, 
there  is  not  enough  in  the  channel  to  justify  working.  At  Menden  and 
at  Indian  diggings  are  considerable  bodies  of  lu'draulic  ground,  but 
there  is  not  a  great  deal  of  water  for  working  purposes.     A  lirancli 


146  (^\L1F()RNTA    STATE    MINING    BUREAU. 

stream  caiix'  in  frDiii  (Jri/./.ly  Klal  by  way  of  llic  llciiry  diuyinus.  Tliis 
stream  still  has  some  iiood  drift  <iromi(l  on  it.  A  lower  course  of  this 
same  river  ji'oes  down  from  IMenden  throuiih  IJouyhman's  Mill.  Again 
joining-  the  main  channel,  it  passes  out  through  Coyoteville. 

Following  lip  the  south  fork  of  the  ancient  river  from  Irish  Hill  its 
course  is  very  nearly  the  same  as  that  of  Dry  Creek.  At  Posey  Hill 
is  a  drift  channel  which  has  considerable  possibilities.  At  this  point 
the  main  channel  is  joined  by  another  branch  which  comes  down  from 
the  northeast.  Still  another  channel  comes  through  Volcano,  where  it 
has  been  largely  eroded  into  the  gulches  to  join  this  main  channel  by 
way  of  the  south  side  of  Dry  Creek.  Passing  upward  through  Lock- 
wood,  where  it  is  joined  by  still  another  tributary,  it  continues  easterly 
for  several  miles  along  the  ridge.  From  Posey  Ilill  on  up,  the  channel 
is  heavily  lava  capped  and  apparently  the  greater  portion  of  it  is 
virgin.  There  is  not,  however,  a  great  deal  of  water  to  work  with  and 
it  is  extremely  doubtful  if  this  channel  can  be  called  drift  ground 
except  in  certain  localities. 

Coming  down  to  the  extreme  lower  reaches  of  the  ancient  river,  which 
have  been  widely  distributed  over  the  rolling  hills  of  the  Sacramento 
Valley  by  modern  erosion,  on  the  Plymouth  Road  between  Michigan 
Bar  and  Forest  Home,  there  is  still  a  great  yardage  of  gravel  which 
could  be  hydraiilicked,  and  also  several  thousand  acres  of  shallow 
ground  in  which  it  is  possible  that  portions  might  be  segi*egated  which 
Avill  prove  economically  profitable  for  a  small  dredge.  Only  a  portion 
cf  this  ground  is  deep,  as  in  most  places  the  bedrock  comes  close  to  the 
surface.  The  onlj"  possilile  water  for  working  this  ground  would  have 
to  be  obtained  from  the  Cosuinnes  River.  This  ground  is  within  25  to 
30  miles  from  Sacramento  by  wagon  road. 

As  stated  before,  the  exact  course  of  this  channel  is  rather  hard  to 
determine  in  its  lower  reaches.  IMany  of  the  creeks  above  lone,  includ- 
ing Horse  Creek  and  Mule  Creek,  were  worked  in  the  early  days  and 
paid  very  well.  They  w^ere  undoubtedly  enriched  by  the  erosion  of  this 
channel.  From  Pl.ymoiith  on  up  to  Volcano  there  have  been  several 
fairly  good  hydraulic  diggings,  notably  on  the  headwaters  of  Rancheria 
and  Dry  Ciieek.  At  Volcano  was  probably  the  greatest  enrichment. 
Here  the  bedrock  is  largely  limestone,  and  the  gravel  and  lava  were 
removed  by  erosion,  concentrating  the  values  in  the  channel  to  such  an 
extent  that  they  formed  what  Avere  at  one  time  some  of  the  richest 
placer  diggings  in  the  State  of  California.  Above  Volcano  to  the  north, 
the  Elephant  Mine  has  been  operated  within  the  last  few  years.  Con- 
siderable gravel  still  remains  in  these  diggings.  From  Volcano  on  up 
to  the  head  of  Ashland  Creek,  the  channel  has  not  proved  of  any  great 
economic  value.  A  branch  running  down  to  the  east  of  Pine  Grove  has 
l)een  hydraiilicked  to  a  certain  extent.  jMost  of  the  bedrock  here  is 
in  the  Paleozoic  metamorphics,  but  there  has  not  been  a  great  deal  of 
local  or  stringer  enrichment. 

The  north  fork  of  the  river,  passing  up  through  Bridgeport,  has  been 
worked  at  various  places  and,  between  Fair  Play  and  Grizzly  Flat,  it 
crosses  a  pocket  belt  which  has  been  responsible  for  considerable  enrich- 
ment. This  channel  can  be  traced  up  the  ridge  between  Long  Canyon 
and  Steeley  Fork  for  a  eonsideral)le  distance,  and  some  mining  has 
been  done  on  its  upper  end. 


GOLD  PLACERS  OF  CALIFOKXIA.  147 

The  south  fork  of  this  channel  extends  much  farther  Ijack  into  the 
Sierras.  From  Lock  wood  up  to  Hams  its  course  can  be  traced  by  a 
heavy  lava  cap.  Sliiihtly  above  Ilams  it  divides,  one  branch  goinii- 
toward  Leek  Spring  Hill  and  tlie  other  running  almost  due  east  toward 
]\lokelumne  Peak.  Neither  of  these  branches  are  of  any  economic 
importance. 

The  Cretaceous  eriuivalent  of  the  ^lokelumne  River  is  proba])ly  the 
most  important  of  the  southern  rivers.  Starting-  with  the  Concentrator 
channel  near  Amador  City,  which  was  extensively  worked  by  hydraulic 
mining  in  the  early  days,  the  ground  has  been  drifted  down  through 
Jackson  and  Butte  City  to  ^Mokelumne  Hill.  Below  this  point  it  is 
joined  by  a  number  of  channels  wliich  are  partly  virgin.  All  of  these 
converge  at  Central  Hill.  In  Chili  Gulch,  lielow  ]\Iokelumne  Hill,  there 
is  still  some  good  hydraulic  ground,  and  also  to  the  west  of  this.  The 
main  channel,  which  passes  down  near  Fosteria,  is  practically  virgin. 
The  gravel  is  very  deep,  with  intermittent  lava  capping. 

The  Tunnel  Eidge  channel,  the  Duryea  channel,  and  the  Blue  Lead 
still  have  considerable  virgin  ground  which  might  possibly  pay  for 
drifting,  but  in  which  a  good  deal  of  water  would  have  to  be  handled. 
AVater  for  mining  purposes  would  probabl>  have  to  be  obtained  from 
the  ]\Iokelumne.  At  Central  Hill  these  last  named  channels  unite  with 
the  main  branch  wliich  comes  across  from  Altaville,  through  San 
Andreas.  Near  Calaveritas  this  channel  is  joined  by  the  Fort  ]\Ioun- 
tain  channel.  Starting  on  the  west  side  of  Tiger  Creek,  and  going 
through  on  the  east  side  of  Bald  ^Mountain  there  is  considerable 
hydraulic  ground  on  this  channel.  On  the  other  branch,  coming  down 
east  of  West  Point  through  Railroad  Flat  and  Fort  Mountain  and 
down  to  Sheep  Ranch,  are  several  miles  of  virgin  drift  ground.  At 
Rigneys,  near  Sheep  Ranch,  and  below,  is  a  considerable  body  of 
hydraulic  ground  of  a  grade  and  feasibility  of  working  that  might  make 
it  attractive  to  the  small  placer  nuner.  From  Sheep  Ranch  on  to  Cala- 
veritas, erosion  has  removed  a  good  deal  of  this  channel,  although  at 
Cave  City  and  at  Old  Gulch  considerable  hydraulic  mining  has  been 
done.  Coming  back  to  the  main  south  fork  of  the  ancient  river  we 
follow  it  from  Fourth  Crossing  through  Dogtown  and  Angels  Camp. 
Considerable  drifting  and  hydraulicking  has  been  done  in  this  neigh- 
borhood. The  headwaters  of  this  braiicli  are  on  the  north  and  south 
sides  of  the  north  fork  of  the  Stanislaus  River.  It  is  again  picked  up 
about  six  or  eight  miles  above  Avery  and  follows  down  the  ridge  in  a 
southwesterly  direction  to  Douglas  Flat.  From  here  it  is  joined  by  a 
very  rich  tributary  which  conies  down  from  above  jMurpliy's  Ranch. 
At  Vallccito  it  is  joined  by  a  northward  flowing  tributary  whicli  came 
through  liy  way  of  Coluni])ia.  At  Vallecito  there  has  been  a  great  deal 
of  erosion  and  some  exceedingly  rich  placer  diggings  have  been 
developed. 

At  San  Andreas  is  still  untouched  drift  ground  of  possilile  value. 
Below  Central  Hill  the  channel  swings  into  the  old  shore  line  near 
Valley  Springs.  It  has  lieen  reconcentrated  in  the  Calaveras  River,  on 
the  lower  reaches  of  whicli  considerable  dredging  and  placer  mining 
has  been  done.  Continuing  on  westward  to  the  region  of  Campo  Seco, 
Comanche,  and  Lancha  I'lana.  the  delta  of  tliis  river  was  e\ceedingl.\ 
rich,  and  was  much  worked  in  the  early  days.     The  low,  rolling  hills 


148  CALIFORNIA   STATE   MINING   BUREAU. 

in  this  region  are  covered  with  shallow  gravel,  which  will  run  any- 
where from  20  to  50  cents  a  yard.  There  is  an  excellent  opportunity 
liere  for  either  hydraulicking  witli  centrifugal  pumps  or  for  working 
with  a  steam  shovel  plant  and  belt  conveyors.  The  average  richness 
of  this  ground  and  the  uniformity  of  the  gold  distribution  make  it 
attractive,  and  it  will  undoubtedly  be  worked  at  some  future  date. 
Some  dredging  has  been  done  near  Campo  Seco. 

On  this  cliannel  of  the  ancient  Mokelumne  are  probably  upwards  of 
400.000,000  yards  of  gravel,  a  large  portion  of  which  has  a  good  chance 
of  being  worked  at  a  protit  by  either  dredging,  drifting,  hydraulicking 
or  mechanical  methods,  such  as  steam  shovel  work. 

Lower  down,  near  Jenny  Lind,  a  southward  flowing  delta  of  this 
same  river  has  concentrated  much  fine  gold,  and  a  good  dredging  area 
has  been  developed  here,  which  is  now  almost  worked  out.  From  Jenny 
Lind  north  along  the  shore  line  of  the  ancient  ocean,  there  is  still  a 
good  possibility  of  finding  shallow  areas  of  ground  which  might  be 
worked  either  by  meclianical  means  or  by  hydraulicking  with  reservoirs 
and  centrifugal  pumps. 

Coming  back  to  the  south  fork  of  the  South  Fork  of  this  ancient 
]\Iokelumne  River,  we  have  an  area  between  Vallecito  and  Yankee  Hill 
which  has  been  one  of  the  richest  from  the  point  of  production  in  the 
State  of  California.  The  bedrock  here  is  largely  limestone,  and  the 
channel  was  concentrated  in  many  places  to  the  point  of  exceeding  rich- 
ness. In  the  neighborhood  of  Columbia,  alone,  over  $55,000,000  has 
been  taken  out.  The  course  of  this  channel  can  be  followed  up  stream 
across  Woods  Creek,  where  it  makes  a  sharp  bend  to  the  north  thi^ough 
Yankee  Hill  and  again  crosses  the  south  fork  of  the  Stanislaus  River. 
The  last  trace  of  this  branch  is  found  near  American  Camp  where  it 
was  hydraulicked.  The  Stanislaus  River  was  tremendously  enriched 
from  about  the  junction  of  Five  Mile  Creek  on  the  south  fork  clear 
down  to  ]\Ielones,  by  the  erosion  of  the  branches  of  this  channel.  After 
crossing  Woods  Creek,  the  main  branch  of  this  channel  can  be  followed 
almost  due  ea.sterly  through  Phoenix  Lake  by  way  of  Browns  Flat  to 
Arastraville,  where  it  makes  a  sharp  turn  to  the  northeast,  and. can  be 
followed  up  tlie  ridge  between  the  north  fork  of  the  Tuolumne  River 
and  the  south  fork  of  the  Stanislaus  by  way  of  Confidence,  Sugar  Pine 
and  Long  Barn  clear  up  to  Cold  Spring.  This  channel  has  never  been 
of  economic  value  from  the  drifting  standpoint,  though  considerable 
work  has  been  done  upon  it. 

At  Melones,  near  the  junction  of  Coyote  Creek,  is  considerable  local 
enrichment,  due  to  the  crossing  of  the  pocket  belt,  which  comes  through 
by  ]\Ibrgan  Hill.  This,  in  addition  to  the  gold  which  was  brought  down 
by  the  Stanislaus  River  from  the  crossing  of  the  old  channels  four  or 
five  miles  above,  resulted  in  some  very  fair  surface  placers. 

In  connection  with  this  river,  it  is  advisable  to  trace  the  course  of  the 
channel  which  has  probably  been  one  of  the  most  effective  sluice  robbers 
and  the  cause  of  more  blasted  hopes  among  placer  miners  than  any 
cliannel  in  the  State  of  California.  This  is  what  is  known  as  the  Table 
jMountain  channel.  Starting  in  on  the  ridge  below  Clover  ]Meadow,  it 
runs  southerly  across  on  tlio  Middle  Fork  of  the  Stanislaus  to  Shotgun. 
From  liore  it  turns  Avesterly  by  way  of  ]\Iount  Kniglit  and  Collierville 
toward  Douglas  Flat.    This  channel  was  a  strietlv  intervolcanic  channel 


GOLD  PLACERS  OF  CALIFORNIA.  149 

of  late  Neocene  age.  For  this  reason  it  contains  no  values  until  it  meets 
the  old  channel  below  Douglas  City.  Crossing  down  slightly  to  the  east 
of  Vallecito,  it  follows  the  bed  of  the  old  Columbia  channel  for  several 
miles.  As  this  was  an  exceedingly  rich  ancient  cliannel  flowing  north- 
ward, and  the  Table  Mountain  channel  flowed  southward  with  its  course 
cut  out  and  carved  by  frequent  rushes  of  volcanic  lava,  the  channel 
was  enriched  to  the  extent  of  its  ability  to  rob  from  the  old  Colnmbia 
channel  for  a  very  considerable  distance  beyond  the  point  of  its 
departure,  which  occurred  somewhere  in  the  neighborhood  of  Parrott's 
Ferry  on  the  main  Stanislaus  River,  (-ontinuiug  southward  west  of 
Springfield  and  Shaws  Flat,  this  channel  can  readily  be  traced  under 
what  is  now  known  as  Table  jMountain  through  the  ridge  west  of 
Jamestown.  Wherever  it  has  been  eroded  by  modern  drainage  there 
has  been  a  certain  amount  of  local  enrichment,  but  practically  all  of 
this  enrichment  was  undoubtedly  derived  originally  from  the  old  north- 


Photo  No.   33.     Near  Soulsbyville.  Tuolumne   County. 

ward  flowing  Columbia  channel.  At  IMontezuma  and  ^fountain  Pass 
this  channel  has  been  worked  by  hydraulic  mining  and  has  also  been 
drifted.  At  numerous  places  north  of  this,  notably  at  Springfield, 
much  money,  has  been  spent  in  an  attempt  to  drift  this  channel  but 
none  of  the  attempts  have  been  successful. 

A  characteristic  of  this  channel  is  that  numerous  parallel  courses  of 
shallow  depth  have  been  cut  out  and  then  tlie  who'e  covered  by  an 
enormous  flow  of  latite.  For  this  reason  prospecting  it  has  proved 
tremendously  expensive.  The  course  of  this  channel  can  be  traced  by 
this  latite  flow  from  INIontezuma  down  through  Peoria  Mountain,  on 
the  southeast  side  of  the  present  Stanislaus  River,  clear  down  to 
Knights  Ferry,  where  it  probably  emptied  into  the  old  Tertiary  ocean 
somewhere  near  Wildcat  Creek.  At  various  points  along  tliis  line  it 
has  been  mined,  notably  at  the  Wagner  Ranch,  Peoria  Basin  and  on 
Ow^  Creek,  but  none  of  the  operations  have  ever  been  successful. 
Judg'ing  from  its  history,  this  channel  shoukl  be  avoided  from  a  mining 
standpoint. 


150  CALIFUKMA    STATK    MINING    BUItEAU. 

Coining  back  to  tho  (-olnmbia  channel,  in  its  course  up  toward  Yankee 
Hill,  is  still  isonie  possible  hydraulic  ground;  also  on  the  main  Stanislaus 
River  at  the  junction  of  the  south  fork  there  is  a  deep  hole  which  might 
possibly  pay  to  prospect  with  a  view  of  turning  the  main  river  during 
the  summer  time  and  working  the  gravel.  It  would  probably  be  a  very 
expensive  operation,  liut  there  is  u)uloul)tedly  (•()nsideral)le  gold  in  the 
main  stream  at  this  point,  due  to  the  erosion  of  the  rich  channel  which 
crossed  above  it  on  the  south  fork. 

No  recommendations  have  been  made  with  regard  to  debris  dams  on 
either  of  these  streams.  Owing  to  the  rolling  nature  of  the  country,  it 
seems  that  more  likely  dump  sites  could  be  found  in  the  uplands  above 
the  streams,  and  if  hydraulic  mining  were  resumed,  it  is  probable  that 
very  satisfactory  brush  and  crib  dams  could  be  constructed  without  the 
necessity  of  the  expensive  concrete  construction  which  is  absolutely 
mandatory  in  the  northern  rivers.  As  the  water  rights  in  this  country 
are  not  nearly  so  good  as  the  water  rights  to  the  north,  it  does  not  seem 
very  likely  that  hydrau.lic  operations  would  ever  assume  the  proportions, 
even  relatively,  in  this  region  that  it  would  in  the  region  of  the  Ameri- 
can, the  Bear  and  the  Yuba.  On  the  other  hand,  there  is  no  doubt  that 
there  still  remains  in  this  region  several  hundred  million  yards  of  gravel 
which  are  adaptable  to  handling  by  hydraulicking,  or  by  the  use  of  some 
form  of  mechanical  elevation.  In  addition  to  this,  there  is  still  consid- 
erable virgin  drift  ground — notably  in  the  region  around  Vallecito, 
San  Andreas  and  Mokelumne  Hill. 

TUOLUMNE  AND  MERCED   RIVERS. 

The  Tuolunnie  River  is  the  last  of  the  great  rivers  toward  the  south 
which  drained  the  western  slope  of  the  Sierras  during  Cretaceous  and 
Tertiar.y  times.  A  shore  outlet  of  this  river  was  apparently  located  at 
what  is  now  Chinese  Camp.  At  this  point  the  gravels  were  distributed 
and  reconcentrated  by  modern  erosion,  and  were  exceedingly  rich. 
Although  little  water  was  available  for  working  them,  an  entire  hill  of 
gravel  was  broken  down  and  hauled  away,  operations  being  conducted 
in  the  simplest  and  crudest  manner;  but  with  considerable  profit  to  the 
owners  due  to  the  extraordinary  richness  of  the  gravel.  Apparently 
another  outlet  of  this  stream  came  through  to  the  southeast  of  Chinese 
Camp  by  way  of  what  is  known  as  the  Mencke  Ranch.  To  the  north  of 
this  considerable  handwork  was  done  on  the  concentration  of  the  ancient 
gravels  of  the  river.  There  is  still  a  possibility  of  a  drift  mine  in  this 
locality,  although  the  amount  of  water  in  the  course  of  the  old  channel 
makes  it  rather  expensive  working.  Following  up  stream  the  ancient 
channel  goes  back  almost  along  the  present  caiion  of  the  Tuolumne 
River.  At  various  points  are  still  segments  of  uneroded  gravel,  notably 
on  Big  Humbug  Creek,  and  a  trifle  to  the  north  of  Smiths  Station. 

To  the  north  of  Groveland,  on  the  head  of  Big  Humbug  Creek,  is  an 
area  of  exceedingly  spotty  gravel,  from  which  the  lava  cap  has  largely 
been  eroded.  This  has  been  worked  with  very  little  success  for  several 
years.  From  here  on  up  to  the  Gi'avel  Range,  on  the  east  side  of  the 
present  Tuolumne  River,  are  several  deposits  of  the  gravel  of  the 
ancient  stream,  which  apparently  have  not  been  considered  sufficiently 
profitable  to  do  much  w^ork  on.  As  in  this  neighborhood  we  are  going 
away  from  the  main  belt  of  metaTuorphic  rocks  and  approaching  the 


(ioLD    PLACERS   OF    CALIFORNIA.  1-31 

granitic  area,  this  may  possibly  be  the  reason  that  tlie  value  of  the 
gravels  appears  to  have  ijrreatly  decreased. 

Above  Jacksonville  on  ^loecasin  Creek  a  great  deal  of  work  was  done 
l)y  the  early  miners  on  the  light  gravels  which  were  concentrated  in  that 
creek.  It  is  quite  possible  that  another  course  of  the  Tuolumne  River, 
which  has  now  lieen  completely  eroded,  nuiy  have  contril)uted  toward 
the  enrichment  of  ^loccasin  Creek. 

At  La  Grange,  on  the  present  Tuolumne  River,  and  in  the  immediate 
vicinity,  there  is  a  tremendous  amount  of  delta  gravels  which  were 
apparently  fairly  profitable  during  the  days  of  unrestricted  hydraulic 
mining.  Many  mines  were  operating  here  during  the  70 'vs  and  80 's.  and 
at  present  along  the  bed  of  the  present  river  the  ground  is  being  dredged 
at  a  fair  profit.  From  one  to  two  miles  above  La  Grange  there  are  still 
large  banks  of  gravel  whieh  are  capable  of  being  hydraulicked.  The 
gravel  is  slightly  cemented  and  not  very  heavy.  It  is  possible  that  this 
area,  instead  of  being  a  delta  of  the  ancient  Tuolumne  River,  may  have 
been  built  up  by  a  minor  stream  which,  more  or  less,  corresponded  to 
the  present  Pierced  River  in  its  drainage.  As  the  coimtry  has  been 
heavily  eroded  to  the  eastward,  it  is  exceedingly  hard  to  identify  this 
delta  deposit  with  any  of  the  ancient  streams. 

On  the  ^Merced  River  there  has  been  some  very  fair  gravel  at  Suelling, 
where  a  dredge  was  operating  for  several  years.  Between  Suelling  and 
]\lerced  Falls,  in  the  early  days,  considerable  surface  placering  was 
done.  From  here  on  up  to  Horseshoe  Bend  the  river  had  considerable 
grade,  but  a  small  amount  of  placer  work  was  done  in  Pleasant  Valley. 
At  Horseshoe  Bend  efforts  are  still  being  made  to  mine  the  stream. 
Above  Bagby  and  in  the  tributary  gulches  in  that  neighborhood  some 
hand  mining  was  done  in  the  early  days. 

There  are  traces  of  an  ancient  channel  above  Coulterville,  about  four 
or  five  miles  south  from  ^Mountain  King  and  on  the  southeast  side  of 
Mount  Bullion.  Whether  this  channel  was  continuous  through  these 
areas,  or  whether  they  are  fragments  of  several  small  channels,  is  a 
matter  that  is  impossible  to  determine,  due  to  the  extensive  erosion 
which  has  taken  place.  There  is  no  question,  however,  that  most  of  the 
modern  enrichment  of  the  present  Pierced  River  has  been  derived  from 
the  pocket  lielt  which  extends  northward  from  ^lariposa  toward  Coulter- 
ville at  Bear  Valley.  A  few  miles  south  of  Bagby  extensive  placer  work 
was  done  in  the  early  days,  ])ut  the  richness  of  the  gulches  in  this  neigh- 
borhood was  undoulitedly  caused  by  the  primar.v  concentration  of  quartz 
seams  and  stringers  bearing  fairly  rich  pockets  in  this  neighborhood. 
The  .same  thing  applies  to  the  placer  work  on  Hornitos  Creek  and  Burns 
Creek  in  the  neighborhood  of  Hornitos.  This  placer  was  fairly  good  in 
the  gulch  diggings  in  the  early  days,  but  it  has  now  been  pretty  well 
worked  out.  The  Pleasant  Valley  gravel  is  said  to  run  better  than  30 
cents  a  yard.  If  tliis  l)e  true,  it  is  strange  that  it  has  not  been  worked, 
as  there  is  a  considerable  yardage  of  available  hydraulic  gravel  still  to 
be  seen.  Above  Coulterville  at  Dogtown  hydra ulicking  is  now  being 
used  to  .sluice  ott"  an  area  of  seams  and  pockets  which  has  made  placer 
diggings  by  its  erosion.  From  Bear  Valley  down  to  ^lariposa  are  local 
concentrations  in  the  gulches  caused  by  the  erosion  of  pocket  veins  on 
the  ]\Iariposa  drainage.  These  gulcli  diggings  have  been  worked  by 
hand,  and  it  is  quite  possil)le  that  some  of  them  would  still  pay  to 
hydraulic. 


152  CALIFORNIA   STATE    MINING   BUREAU. 

In  the  main,  the  ^Merced  region  consists  of  very  spotty  gulch  diggings, 
which  are  mostly  worked  out.  The  channel  mentioned  above,  which 
])asses  about  five  miles  east  of  Coulterville,  has  been  slightly  drifted, 
])ut  without  much  success :  for  one  reason  because  the  cuts  which  run 
into  it  did  not  reach  the  bottom  of  the  old  channel. 

UPPER   SAN  JOAQUIN,   FRESNO,   KINGS,   KAWEAH   AND   KERN    RIVERS. 

On  the  upper  San  Joaquin,  which  forms  the  boundary  line  between 
^Madera  and  Fresno  counties,  there  has  been  some  slight  enrichment 
which  was  worked  in  the  early  days,  notably  at  Italian  Bar  and  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Huntington  Lake  and  Cascade.  There  have  been  .some 
placer  operations,  but  no  great  amount  of  mone.y  has  been  taken  out. 

In  Madera  County,  on  tributaries  of  the  Fresno  River,  considerable 
placer  work  was  done  in  the  early  days.  Grub  Gulch  was  worked  for 
several  miles  toward  the  river,  but  it  is  now  all  worked  out.  The  same 
applies  to  Coarse  Gold  Creek.  On  Kings  Gulch,  above  Grub  Gulch,  is 
a  fragment  of  an  old  channel  which  has  been  unsuccessfully  drifted. 
This  may  possibly  be  connected  with  the  segments  to  the  north  which 
have  been  noted  on  the  ]Merced  River,  but  probably  is  independent.  At 
Friant,  on  the  Fresno  River,  the  gravel  runs  a  few  cents  a  yard,  and 
the  saving  of  from  one  to  two  cents  a  yard  is  now  being  made  as  a 
by-product  in  a  gravel  crushing  plant  located  there. 

On  the  Kings  River,  about  twenty  miles  above  Piedra,  is  a  gravel 
deposit  on  which  considerable  money  has  been  spent  in  a  futile  manner. 
This  deposit  drains  the  granite  belt  almost  exclusiveh^  and  is  exceed- 
ingly low-grade.  The  front  rims,  however,  in  the  early  days  paid  small 
wages  to  miners  where  there  was  a  certain  amount  of  local  concentra- 
tion, and  as  a  result  of  exaggerated  stories  regarding  the  richness  of 
these  diggings,  numerous  companies  have  been  floated  without  the 
slightest  prospect  of  success. 

On  the  Kaweah  River,  in  the  Marble  Fork,  attempts  have  been  made 
at  placer  mining,  but  none  of  these  have  been  successful.  Practically 
all  of  the  gold  in  the  gravel,  which  is  extremely  low-grade,  has  come 
from  the  breaking  down  of  pyritic  masses  from  the  granite,  which  is 
the  predominant  country  rock. 

Around  Woody,  in  Kern  County,  and  White  River,  in  Fresno,  the 
erosion  of  stringers  in  the  granite  has  produced  local  gulch  concentra- 
tions which  were  extensively  worked  for  considerable  distances  in  the 
early  days.  Very  little  of  this  is  left,  however,  which  can  be  classed  as 
placer  ground.  There  have  been  some  good  quartz  ledges  in  this  dis- 
trict, which  were  probably  responsible  for  the  feeding  of  the  placers. 

One  of  the  earliest  placer  camps  in  the  state,  at  Keyesville  on  the 
upper  Kern  River,  consisted  mainly  of  gulch  diggings,  which  were 
enriched  by  the  erosion  of  stringers  in  the  granite  close  to  an  area  of 
metamorphie  rocks.  In  Rich  Gulch,  Sand  Gulch  and  Keyes  Gulch  there 
is  evidence  of  much  work,  but  little  or  no  workable  ground  is  left.  For 
thirty  miles  down  the  river,  however,  the  gulches  have  been  worked  at 
intervals.  Around  Havilah  is  much  gravel,  but  the  pay  has  already 
been  worked  out.  On  Piute  and  Greenhorn  mountains  is  still  a  little 
gravel  which  might  possibly  pay  to  Avork. 

On  the  south  fork  of  the  Kern  River,  about  thirty  miles  above 
Isabella,  there  is  a  little  hydraulic  ground  with  poor  dump,  which  is 


GOLD   PLACERS   OF    CALIFOUNLV.  153 

not  of  very  high  grade.  Attempts,  however,  have  been  made  to  work 
it.  The  river  sands  below  the  junction  of  the  north  and  south  forks  of 
the  Kern  River  carry  some  telluride  combinations  of  gold.  There  is  a 
gorge  in  the  river  below  Isabella  and  eommeucing  just  above  Keyes- 
ville,  which  could  easily  be  Avorked  ])y  diverting  the  river.  This  river 
is  reported  to  be  virgin  at  this  point  on  the  authority  of  the  men  who 
tried  to  work  it  about  fifteen  years  ago.  It  seems  quite  possible  that 
this  gorge  might  be  worth  while  prospecting,  as  mucli  gold  must  have 
been  fed  into  this  river  from  the  gulch  diggings  on  the  northeast  side. 
It  would  not  be  a  very  expensive  undertaking  to  prospect  it. 

Section  5. 

OUTLYING    DISTRICTS. 

While  the  Coast  Range  in  the  Franciscan  rocks  has  never  been 
l)roductive  of  any  great  concentration  of  gold,  nevertheless  there  have 
been  numerous  local  enrichments  in  which  extraction  has  been  attempted 
at  various  times  by  placer  miners.  In  San  Luis  Obispo  County  is  an 
area  of  Franciscan  metamorphics  which  has  thrown  some  gold  into  the 
tributaries  of  Poso  Creek,  but  not  in  any  great  cpantity.  Attempts  have 
been  made  to  work  this  by  steam  shovel  and  by  mechanical  elevation. 
At  Fraser  Canyon  and  near  La  Panza  are  considerable  areas  of  gravel 
but  they  are  low-grade  and  extremely  spotty.  Thus  far  no  economic 
success  has  attended  any  work  done  in  this  district  in  spite  of  the  fact 
that  there  is  plenty  of  water  available  for  workinu-.  The  gold  is  exceed- 
ingly flaky  and  fine  and  the  district  is  very  spotty. 

West  of  Jolon,  in  Monterey  County,  is  a  pocket  district  close  to  the 
coast  which,  by  its  erosion,  has  produced  some  very  heavy  gold.  Some 
of  the  finest  nuggets  that  the  writer  has  encountered  in  the  whole  state 
have  been  exhibited  to  him  as  coming  from  this  regiou.  Apparently, 
however,  there  is  no  considerable  amount  of  placer  territory  which 
would  justify  the  expenditure  of  any  great  capital  or  an  attempted 
working  of  this  district  by  anything  but  pick  and  shovel  methods. 

At  Surf,  Santa  Barbara  County,  is  a  very  considerable  concentration 
of  black  sand  which  is  slightly  auriferous  but  which  is  not  an  economic 
proposition. 

Returning  to  the  northern  portion  of  the  Coast  Range,  in  ]Mendocino 
and  Lake  counties,  there  are  local  concentrations  similar  to  those 
already  mentioned  at  Poso  and  La  Panza.  While  in  the  northern 
country  these  areas  carry  some  platinum,  their  gold  content  is  so 
low  that  they  are  not  of  any  economic  importance.  There  is  one 
deposit  in  the  neighborhood  of  Hopland  which  carried  considerable 
platinum,  but  the  distribution  of  both  gold  and  platinum  was  so  spotty 
and  irregular  that  an  attempt  made  to  work  it  by  modern  mechanical 
methods  failed  of  success. 

There  is  only  one  of  these  outl\-ing  districts  away  from  the  great  belt 
of  metainorphic  rocks  in  the  Sierras  which  seems  to  the  writer  to  have 
any  economic  interest.  In  ]\Iono  County,  on  the  headwaters  of  the 
Walker  and  on  Virginia  and  Dog  creeks,  is  an  area  of  gravel  which  will 
pan  about  25  cents  a  yard.  At  Bodie  Flat,  not  far  from  this  region, 
considerable  placer  work  was  done  in  the  early  days.  While  the  Bodie 
concentration  appears  to  have  been  principally  a  primary  enrichment 


154  CALIFORNIA    STATE    MINING   BUREAU. 

from  ledges  and  strin2:ers,  tlie  area  on  Virginia  and  Dog  creeks  consists 
of  well-rounded  wash  gravel,  varying  in  depth  from  five  to  ten  feet  and 
distributed  over  several  hundred  acres  of  ground. 

At  the  time  of  the  writer's  visit  the  dei)th  of  the  gravel  did  not 
ai)i)ear  to  be  sufficiently  great  to  justify  the  expense  of  a  hydraulic 
installation,  owing  to  its  widespread  distribution,  and  the  difficulty  of 
getting  the  water  upon  the  ground  under  pressure.  Since  that  time, 
however,  it  is  reported  that  shafts  have  been  sunk  through  Avhat 
appeared  to  l)e  the  bedrock  of  the  country,  proving  it  to  be  false  bed- 
rock. It  is  said  that  about  thirty  feet  of  gravel  has  been  developed 
underneath  this  false  bedrock,  which  carries  fairly  good  values.  If  so, 
,  the  district  is  worthy  of  investigation,  with  an  eye  to  the  possibility  of 
working  it  with  a  small  dredge,  as  the  upper  gravels  apparently  carry 
gold  in  sufficient  (juantity  to  make  them  of  economic  consideration. 

DRY   PLACERS. 

Dry  placers  of  the  State  of  California  are  for  the  most  part  located 
in  the  southern  portion,  chietiy  in  the  region  of  the  ^lojave  and  Colorado 
deserts.  These  were  probably  tlie  earliest  known  sources  of  gold  in  the 
state.  In  connection  with  the  dry  placers  of  this  region,  there  is  one 
district,  however,  that  has  not  heretofore  been  discussed  but,  as  it  lies 
in  the  same  general  region,  it  will  be  brietiy  described. 

This  district  forms  what  is  probably  the  only  promising  or  possible 
area  of  ground  in  southern  California  which  is  suitable  for  dredging. 
It  lies  in  the  Iloh-omb  Valley  about  four  miles  north  of  Big  Bear  Lake. 
It  is  apparently  a  i)rimary  concentration  from  the  erosion  of  the  schists 
and  porphyrys  of  the  Gold  IMnuutain  region.  It  is  a  broad  porphyry 
belt  which  crosses  the  country  in  a  northwesterly  and  southeasterly 
direction  and  can  be  traced  for  several  miles.  This  belt  is  apparently 
full  of  numerous  quartz  stringers  and  pocket  seams.  In  places  the 
country  rock  for  considerable  widths  will  run  three  or  four  dollars  a 
ton  in  gold.  It  is  from  the  erosion  of  this  belt  that  the  Holcomb  Vallej' 
placers  have  been  formed.  During  the  late  80 's  and  early  90 's  it  was 
operated  by  an  English  company  by  means  of  steam  shovels  and  eleva- 
tors, ^lost  of  the  work  was  done  around  the  edges  of  the  deposit  and 
but  little  was  attempted  in  the  deeper  gravel  in  the  center.  However, 
it  is  said  that  most  of  the  material  handled  by  this  operation  averaged 
between  30  and  85  cents  a  yard.  Tliis  seems  quite  possible  from  the 
nature  and  type  of  the  erosion. 

At  the  present  time  there  is  an  area  of  some  three  or  four  hundred 
acres  on  Holcomb  Creek,  which  varies  in  depth  from  ten  to  fifty  or 
sixty  feet,  and  which  seems  as  if  it  might  be  possil)le  to  segregate  suffi- 
cient dredging  ground  to  make  an  economically  feasible  proposition. 
The  only  water  available  is  that  from  Holcomb  (h-eek,  but  a  minimum 
of  thii'ty  to  forty  inches  is  at  all  times  available  and  during  the  winter 
and  spring  months  there  is  eonsiderably  more.  This  water  should  be 
sufficient  to  maintain  the  dredge  jvond  dnriug  the  greater  portion  of 
the  year.  The  proposition  appai'ently  justifies  prospecting  to  determine 
its  possibilities. 

Coming  back  to  the  dry  placers  proper,  n  good  deal  of  i)r()specting 
and  work  has  been  done  in  the  San  (ial)riel  Canyon  and,  in  the  late  SO's, 
several  small  operations  were  in  process  on  the  auriferous  gravels  that 


GOLD  PLACERS  OP  CALIFORNIA.  155 

Hank  the  iiioiiiilaiu  sides.  Tlu'sc  arc  mul()iil)li'dly  of  recent  origin  and 
of  primary  concentration.  The  amount  of  water  available  for  working 
them  was  very  limited,  but  for  the  most  part  they  wei'e  worked  in  tlie 
spring  when  imponnding  of  water  was  possible. 

From  the  time  of  the  days  of  the  ^NFexican  colonies  gold  has  been  won 
from  the  dry  placers  of  the  desert.  The  Indians  in  the  days  of  the 
padres  nsed  to  l)ring  in  gold  to  the  misisions.  which  was  laboriously 
recovered  from  the  desert  washes  by  the  crudest  of  methods.  Unfortu- 
nately, however,  there  is  no  relial)le  record  of  production  until  compara- 
tively modern  tiiues;  but  we  know  that  in  total  it  amounted  to  many 
millions  of  dollars.  Since  the  American  occupation  of  California,  we 
have,  however,  somewhat  of  a  record,  and  we  know  of  districts  which 
have  produced  from  a  hundred  thousand  to  two  millions  of  dollars — all 
won  by  hand  methods  and  mostly  by  dry  washing. 

It  should  be  remembered,  however,  in  consideration  of  these  figures, 
that  the  values  won  from  the  desert  placers  have  generally  been  earned 
by  the  operations  of  a  multitude  of  men  working  indepeiulently  and 
that  the  extent  of  their  operations  in  point  of  time  covered  a  great  many 
years:  for  instance,  in  one  district,  the  Potholes  district  near  Yuma, 
from  which  a  reported  production  of  .$2,000,000  has  been  taken  out.  as 
many  as  400  or  500  jMexicans  were  Working  with  hand  washing  machines 
for  a  period  of  several  years.  If  this  point  is  borne  in  mind  in  consider- 
ing the  gold  production  of  the  desert,  it  will  be  readily  understood  why 
it  is  that  to  date  not  a  single  large-scale  operation  haiuUing  dry  placers 
in  southern  California  has  ever  been  successful. 

The  results  of  the  writer's  investigation,  which  has  covered  every  dry 
placer  district  of  importance  in  the  desert,  have  on  the  whole  been 
decidedly  disappointing,  and  the  writer  is  forced  to  the  conclusion  that, 
these  placers  have  already  been  exploited  by  the  only  practical  means : 
the  Mexican  with  his  little  hand-operated  bellows  and  rocker.  The 
reasons  for  tbis  conclusion  will  l)e  given  herewith.  From  the  standpoint 
of  geological  history,  the  district  sonth  of  the  Tehachapi  has  been  dis- 
tinctly diflt'erent  from  the  region  of  the  great  valley  to  the  north.  The 
ranges  of  subsidence  and  elevation  have  been  nuich  less  during  Tertiary 
and  later  times.  During  the  later  ocean  transgressions,  including  the 
lone,  which  covered  the  foothills  of  the  western  slope  of  the  Sierras  and 
of  the  Coast  Range,  this  region  was  comparatively  quiescent.  For  this 
reason  it  may  be  assumed  that  the  topography  and  to  some  extent  the 
climatic  conditions  of  this  region,  during  the  time  in  which  changes 
were  taking  place  to  the  north,  did  not  vary  greatly. 

This  fact  leads  to  a  vital  ditferem  e  in  the  manner  and  amount  of 
deposition  of  the  gold  in  the  desert  channels,  so  far  as  it  occurs  along 
the  line  of  channels.  Whereas  in  the  north  we  have  a  primary  concen- 
tration from  the  erosion  of  the  metamorphics  and  intrusives  of  the 
Sierras,  to  be  followed  later  by  a  reconcentration  of  the  values  in  the 
Cretaceous  and  Tertiary  streams  by  the  present,  or  Quaternary,  drainage 
running  in  many  ca.ses  normal  to  the  older,  in  the  region  of  the  desert 
we  have  an  entirely  different  condition,  and  one  not  nearly  so  favorable 
to  the  concentration  of  gokl  in  large  (|uantity  and  persistent  amount. 

In  the  .south,  the  drainage  during  Tertiary  times  evidently  did  not 
greatly  vary  from  the  present  lines.  Roughly,  practically  all  of  the 
deposits  on  which  stream  action  bad  the  slightest  bearing  may  be  classed 
along  the  drainage  lin(^s  of  ancient   streams  whose  courses  follow  the 


156  CALIFORNIA   STATE    MINING   BUREAU. 

<»:(Mi(M-al  (lircftioii  of  llic  iiiodcni  oik^s,  such  as  they  aro.  In  some  eases, 
the  aiieieiit  ones  seem  larger  than  those  of  the  present  day — in  other 
eases  smaller. 

In  San  Diego  Comity,  we  have  a  course  which,  commencing  in  the 
Cuyamaca  ^lountains.  near  Julian  and  the  Banner  district,  runs  down 
through  Ballena  via  Hatfield  and  Coleman  creeks — which  liave  crossed 
it  and  caused  local  concentration — down  through  Ramona  and  the  San 
Vicente  region,  and  finally  empties  into  the  ocean  somewhere  around 
La  Jolla.  This  region  is  not  of  economic  importance,  as  the  values  were 
very  spotty,  according  to  the  records  of  the  districts,  and  facilities  for 
working  are  limited  to  a  very  short  season  of  the  year. 

East  of  this,  in  Imperial  County,  we  have  either  local  erosion  deposits, 
like  that  in  the  Borego  country — which  is  said  to  average  about  fifteen 
cents  a  yard — or  the  deposits  in  the  Chuckawalla  basin,  the  Chocolate 
Mountains,  the  Eagle  Range,  and  the  country  north  and  east  of  Desert 
Center.  These  were  all  more  or  less  tributary  to  the  drainage  system  of 
the  Colorado,  which  is  })robably  one  of  the  oldest  rivers  on  the  western 
slope.  On  the  Colorado  itself,  or  near  it.  we  have  the  Potholes,  at 
Laguna ;  the  Picacho  Basin ;  and  other  deposits  in  the  Blythe-Parker- 
Ehrenberg  region.  These  were  all  investigated  by  the  writer;  and  his 
conclusion  is  that,  although  a  recorded  production  running  into  the 
millions  has  come  out  of  them,  little  remains  of  interest  to  either  large 
capital  or  the  small  miner. 

The  gravel,  or  eroded  material,  was  very  spotty  and  seemed  to  carry 
the  values  in  the  subangular  stuff  at  some  distance  above  bedrock;  and 
any  pumping  scheme  which  miuht  be  used  to  get  water  would  be  so 
costly  and  cumbersome  that  the  ground  will  never  pay  it  back.  The 
]Mexican  with  his  little  portable  machine  and  lack  of  overhead  in  moving 
from  gulch  to  gulch  where  the  greatest  concentrations  were,  had  the 
only  feasible  system.  The  Picacho  and  Laguna  deposits  are  disinte- 
grated schists  and  slates  for  the  most  part,  containing  quartz  stringers 
from  which  the  gold  has  come.  In  both  cases  the  erosion  caused  by  the 
Colorado  River  at  the  base  of  a  low  range  of  hills  has  resulted  in  the 
accumulation  of  this  material.  The  river  wash  itself  does  not  earrj' 
much  value,  but  the  disintegrated  matter  above  carries  it;  and  the  ero- 
sion of  present  day  gulches  has  resulted  in  local  concentrations  which 
were  worked  by  the  IMexicans. 

In  the  Owens  Lake  country,  along  the  eastern  base  of  the  Sierras,  is  a 
series  of  short  channels  and  delta  gravels  along  the  shore  line  of  the 
ancient  sea,  which  once  occupied  the  Owens  River  Basin.  Apparently 
a  short  channel  came  in  through  Red  Rock  Canyon,  where  it  was  joined 
by  another  which  came  from  the  west  in  the  neighborhood  of  Tehachapl 
by  way  of  Jawbone  Canyon.  The  shore  line  can  then  be  traced  clear 
through  liy  way  of  Goler  and  Sunnnit  Diggings  to  Copper  Canyon  and 
Long  Range.  It  is  especiall.y  developed  at  Coolgardie,  but  is  again  lost 
as  the  formations  dip  under  the  recent  wash  near  Barstow.  At  inter- 
vals, notably  at  Goler  and  at  Coolgardie,  there  appear  to  have  been 
short  channels  whose  deltas  are  expressed  in  these  places. 

In  addition  to  this,  there  are  washes  of  recent  origin,  such  as  the  one 
at  St.  Elmo  near  Goler.  The  St.  Elmo  wash  was  directly  enriched  in 
modern  times  from  the  erosion  from  the  Stringer  district,  and  is  still 
being  worked  in  a  small  way  by  hand  dry  washers.  Another  short 
channel  comes  down  from  the  Goler  wash  in  the  Panamint  IMountains. 


GOr.D    PLACERS   OF    CALIFORNIA. 


157 


As  this  wasli  is  typical,  a  plmtograpli  of  it  is  shown.  This  system  oP 
channels  and  of  shore  j^ravels  is  one  ot!  the  host  known  in  the  south  and 
corresponds,  in  the  nature  of  its  formation,  to  the  auriferous  and  con- 
glomerate gravels  which  have  been  noted  in  Siskiyou  and  Shasta  coun- 
ties. The  conditions  of  its  formation  were,  however,  widely  different. 
This  system  illustrates  a  point  which  strikes  the  writer  very  forcibly 
in  its  bearing  on  the  possible  economic  operation  of  these  gravels. 

As  a  rule,  the  stream  gravels,  which  consist  of  well-rounded  boulders 
of  crystalline  rocks  from  the  Sierras,  carry  no  value  at  all.     Wherever 


Photo  No. 


>4.     Head    of    Goler    Wash, 
mint  Mountains. 


Pana- 


they  cross  a  belt  of  raetamorphies  containing  quartz  stringers,  or  any 
body  of  olivine  bearing,  or  other  basic  rocks,  by  local  erosion  there  is 
jiroduced,  in  connection  with  the  heavy  cloudbursts  that  sweep  down 
the  gidches  intermittently,  local  concentration  of  gold.  As  a  result, 
at  Goler,  for  instance,  one  can  notice  that  the  shingling  of  the  washed 
material  is  transverse  to  the  general  direction  of  the  coiu'se  of  the 
deposits.  Heav}'  gold  is  found  JU'ar  the  tops  of  the  ridges  and  from  30 
to  60  feet  above  bedrock  and  on  local  false  bedrocks  of  clay  and  dis- 
integrated volcanics. 


158 


CALIFORNIA    STATE    MINING   KUREATT. 


At  Siiiniuit  DiysiinKS,  iiitensively  worked  on  account  of  its  shallow 
depth  during  tlie  early  days,  operations  have  been  started  which  con- 
template bringing  water  twelve  miles  to  cover  the  deposit.  The  same 
thing  has  been  proposed  at  Coolgardie  with  a  fifteen  mile  water  system. 
As  tlie  richer  portion  of  the  concentrations,  that  is,  the  portions  which 
have  accumulated  in  the  present  day  gulches,  have  long-  been  worked 


Photo  No.   35.     Dry  Washer    (Close-ur),   Summit  Diggings, 
Kern    County. 


out  by  hand  methods  and  the  general  body  of  the  deposits  in  either  of 
these  places  will  only  run  from  15  to  60  cents  a  yard,  it  does  not  seem 
that  either  is  an  economic  proposition. 

In  Lytel  Creek,  along  the  line  of  the  Santa  Fe.  there  was  a  local  con- 
centration from  the  stringers  in  the  granite.  Tliis  has  already  been 
worked  out.     A  little  water  was  available  here. 


GOLD   PLACERS   OP    CiUL^IFORNIA. 


159 


In  the  prospecting  of  any  of  these  areas  it  should  be  borne  in  mind 
that  the  greater  concentration  of  values  will  always  be  found  where 
there  has  been  the  greatest  erosion.  This  concentration  will  naturally 
lie  fairly  close  to  bedrock,  but  in  estimating  the  average  values  for  the 
yardage  available  care  should  be  taken  to  prospect  the  entire  surface 
of  the  available  ground  and  to  carefully  note  the  deposits  of  the  richer 
strata  of  material.  This  characteristic  is  especially  evidenced  in  the 
placers  above  mentioned  on  Lytel  Creek. 

The  last  of  these  very  interesting  systems  consists  of  a  channel  which, 
coming  down  from  Placerita  Canyon  near  Newhall,  is  another  branch 
which  headed  above  Bouquet  Canyon,  crossed  into  San  Francisquito 
Canyon  and  came  down  somewhere  below  Piru,  to  be  joined  by  another 
course  which  came  from  Lockwood  by  way  of  Piru  Canyon.     This  was 


^  ^^^. 


Photo    Xo.    a6.      Dry   W.islvr,    Summit   Diggings,   Kern    •'■■wny.   Cal. 

much  worked  in  the  early  history  of  Los  Angeles  and  Ventura  coun- 
ties, but,  as  even  the  Chinamen  gave  it  up  as  no  longer  affording  them 
a  living,  it  would  not  be  advisable  for  a  white  man  to  try  it.  The  values 
appeared  to  be  concentrated  on  the  points  of  the  present  hills  and  in 
the  gulches.    Quite  a  little  water  was  available  for  worlcing  this  system. 

Attention  nuist  again  be  called  to  the  fact  that,  in  estimating  the 
gross  production  of  this,  as  well  as  other  regions  of  the  desert  placers, 
a  large  part  of  the  work  which  has  been  done  there  was  done  when 
wages  averaged  alwut  $1  a  day  in  times  of  industrial  depression.  ]Many 
men,  making  a  ])arp  living  at  best,  preferred  to  ])e  their  own  masters 
while  doing  it;  and  the  aggregate  of  all  their  earnings  presents  an 
impressive  figure.  Considering  the  length  of  time  involved  and  the 
number  of  men  emi)loyed,  it  is  no  wonder  that  the  aggregate  amount, 
even  from  very  poor  diggings,  was  large. 

One  final  point  that  has  impressed  the  writer,  and  with  particular 
force,  is  the  total  and  absolute  failure  of  air  separation  processes  when 

11—28603 


160  CALIFORNIA    STATE    MINING   BUREAU. 

applied  on  anything  larger  than  a  hand  scale.  Two  monuments  to 
this  failure  still  stand  in  mournful  state ;  one  at  Goler,  and  the  other 
at  Coolgardie.  Limited  capacity  and  imperfect  separation  are  the  main 
reasons.  A  machine  which  will  work  on  a  laboratory  scale  with  material 
which  has  been  dried  on  a  hot  plate  certainly  will  not  be  a  success  when 
applied  to  the  general  run  of  desert  material,  especially  after  a  shower 
has  moistened  the  ground.  The  material  simply  balls  up  on  the  canvas 
tables  which  are  generally  used.  Furthermore,  machines  of  this  char- 
acter are  generally  so  cumbrous  that  they  lose  the  chief  advantage  of 
the  hand  machine,  which  is  its  mobility.  As  the  hand  machine  is  light 
and  easily  operated,  it  can  be  transported  from  one  spot  or  concentra- 
tion of  gold  to  another  as  soon  as  the  pay  has  been  worked  out. 

In  the  accompanying  illustrations  the  simplest  form  of  hand  machine 
for  working  dry  placers  is  shown.  These  photographs  were  taken  dur- 
ing the  prospecting  of  the  Summit  Diggings  before  referred  to. 

At  the  present  time,  near  Randsburg,  a  dredge  operation  has  recently 
been  started  in  which  the  principles  involved  in  the  Huelsdonk  con- 
centrator, described  in  the  second  chapter  of  this  volume,  are  being  used. 
There  is  not  much  question  that  the  saving  should  be  satisfactory  with 
this  type  of  machine,  but  to  the  writer's  mind  the  question  remaining 
to  be  proved  is  whether  the  values  are  in  the  ground,  as  the  con- 
centrations in  this  district  are  exceedingly  treacherous  and  spotty. 

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GOLD   PLACERS   OF    CALIFORNIA.  161 

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November  17,  1917. 
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Survey. 
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Survey. 


162  CALIFORNIA   STATE    MINING    BUREAU. 

Ancient  Channel  System  of  Calaveras  County.     Twelfth  Annual  Report,  California 

State  Mining  Bureau. 
Gold   Dredging  in   California.     Bulletins   Nos.  36  and  57,  California   State  Mining 

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INDEX. 


Page 

Advantages   to  cities  of  Sacramento  and   Marysville 2i 

Alleghany    Channel 133 

Alluvial  mining,   divisions  of ^ 27 

American   Hill   Channel 127 

River 117 

River   system 143 

Tertiary,   profile   of 142 

Valley   district -- 111 

Ancient    river    cliannels,    cliaracteristics    of 50 

Anti-debris  Association 11,  15 

Artificial  pressure  in  hydraulic  mining 38 

Auburn    district 144 

Australian  Mine,  gravel  bank  at  the_- . 109 

pump    dredge 35 

Badger  Hill   and  North   Columbia 132 

Bald    Mountain    Channel 12(5 

Mine    ^ 58 

Ballena    Channel 156 

Banlca  and  Empire  drills 76 

Bear    River 117 

tailings 128 

Beauceville   elevator 63 

Bellevue    district 122 

Beneficial   effect   of  silt 17 

Bibliography    of    debris    control 25 

mining     methods 80,  81 

placer    resources 160,  161,  162 

Big  Butte   Creek 101 

Black  sand 68 

Black-sand  machines,   types  of 69 

Blasting  gravel   banks 48 

Blue   Tent 133 

Bowie,  A.   J 48 

Brandy     City     district 121 

Breece    and   Wheeler    Cliannel 130 

Bushman     Gulch 112 

Calaveras    River 145 

California  Debris  Commission 13 

dredges,    types    of : 34 

Caminetti    Act 12 

Canada   Hill   Channel 139 

Carrville   and   Trinity   Center  region 95 

Centrifugal  pumps  for  elevating 65 

Channels,  engineering  determination  of 53 

Characteristics    of    ancient    river    channels 50 

dredging    ground 28 

drift  ground 4  8 

liydraulie  ground 37 

Cherokee  Channel 103 

Chinese    Camp . 150 

Circle   and    Forty   Mile   districts 40 

Clermont  Ridge 106 

Closing  of  hydraulic  mines,  loss  due  to 13 

Colfax  Folio  of  the  U.   S.  Geological  Survey,  quotation  from 131 

Columbia    Channel 148 

Comparison  of'hand   and  power  drills 78 

Concentrator    Cliannel 147 

Conditions  of  drift  mining 51 

Construction   account   in   drift   mining 56 

work   in    hydraulic   mining 40 

Continuity   of   Forest   Hill   channels 54 

Coolgardie    district 156 

Cost  of  engineering  determinations 55 

Ruble   elevator 47 

transportation    31 

Costs,  distribution  of  drift  mining 55 

at    Hidden    Treasure    Mine 62 

Cosunines,    Mokelumne,    Calaveras   and    Stanislaus    Rivers 145 

Cottonwood    Creek    district 101 

Coulter ville  district 151 

Cretaceous  Island ~__  §2 

Dam     sites,     location     of I 22 

Dardanelles    Channel IZII 136 

Deadwood  and   Last   Chance   Channel Z 140 

Debris    control,     bibliography     of 25 

readjustment     of ' 21 

in   Sacramento   drainage  system I  _  20 

Del   Norte  County 83 

Mines  of _ZI ~ I_I 85 

Derbec  Mine _I  _  _~~ I 57 


164  INDEX. 

Page 

Development  of   hydraulic  mining 9 

Different  types  of  dredges 32 

Distribution  of  drift  mining  costs 55 

of    pay 51 

Ditch    construction 41 

Divisions  of  alluvial  mining 27 

Drag    scrapers 64 

Drainage  of  Tertiary  Yuba 138 

Dredge,    Australian    pump 35 

in    Victoria,    Pump 36 

Dredged   lands.    Reclamation    of 20 

Dredges,    different    types    of 32 

Dredging    deposits,    types    of 27 

ground.     Characteristics    of 2S 

in  cold  countries 30 

in    tropical    countries 2'J 

Drift  gravels,  gold  yield  of 62 

ground,  characteristics  of 48 

mines,   methods   of  opening 57 

mining,  conditions  of 51 

construction    account    in 56 

costs 59 

costs.    Distribution    of 55 

Gold    recovery    in 56 

Labor  costs  in 61 

methods   48 

Drill   in    Korea,    handmade 75 

Prospecting    by 73 

Drills,   comparison  of  hand  and  power 78 

Dry  placer  processes,  failure  of 158 

placer  work,  Hand  machines  for 159 

placers : 154 

Recovery  from 155 

washing 67 

Dunn,   Russell  L.,  report  of — 49 

Dutch    Flat 129 

Channel 134 

mining  district,  Map  of — 128 

Edwards  ^Voodruff  vs.  North  Bloomfield ^9 

Empire    drills 76 

Engineering  determination   of  channels — _  53 

determinations.  Cost  of 55 

Evidence    of    glaciation — 120 

Expansion   of   gravel    in   drilling 77 

Factors  in  prospecting  worl^ 80 

Failure  of  drj'  placer  processes 158 

Feather  River  gravels,   extent  of 116 

Feather    River    region 101. 

Forest    and    Allegliany    Channel 133 

Forest  Hill   Channel 135 

channels,   continuity   of 54 

mine    50 

region 130,  136 

Forty  Mile  district 40 

Fowler    Peak    Channel 106 

French   Corral   to   North   San   Juan 118 

French   Gulch   district — 100 

FVesno    River 152 

Georgetown    Divide    Channel 130 

Gibraltar    Mine Up 

GibsonvlUe,  map  of  gravel  channels  of 123 

Giffen  placer  machine — 68 

Glacial    distribution   of   gravels 141 

CJlaciation,    evidence    of 120 

Gold  recovery  in  drift  mining 56 

Run    129 

mining    district,    map    of 128 

j-ield  in  drift  gravels 62 

Goler   district 157 

Gopher   Hill    diggings 110 

Grade   of   sluices 43 

Gravel    bank    at   the    Australian   Mine 109 

distribution,   profile  of 142 

in  drilling,  expansion  of '''' 

Mechanical    handling    of 63 

Metliods  of  prospecting 70 

Gravels,    glacial    distribution    of 1-11 

in   Mono    County 153 

Greenville  district lOS 

Ground    sluicing   methods 66 

Grizzlv  Flat 146 

Hamilton    field 11" 

Hand  and  power  drills,  comparison  of JS 

machines    for    dry    placer    work 159 

Handmade    drill    in    Korea 75 


INDEX.  165 

Page 

Happy    Camp    region 89 

Hepsidam    Channel :f^° 

Hidden    Treasure    Channel J^^' 

Mine ^° 

Mine,   Costs  at °5 

Holcomb   Valley   district i^-* 

Holes,    Placing-   of °" 

Honcut   and   Hamilton    fields IJi 


Hoopa  Reservation. 


86 


Huelsdonk   Concentrator 69 

Hunts    Hill.    Blue    Tent    and    Scotts    Flat 1^3 

Hutchins,    John    P 3( 

Hydraulic    elevators || 

equipment,  Relative  weight  of 38 

ground.   Characteristics   of 37 

ground,    Method    of   working 4L 

mines,    closing    of.    Loss    due    to 1° 

mining    37 

Artificial  pressure   in ■j'» 

Construction    work    in 40 

Development    of 9 

practice    40 

Igo    and    Ono    districts 101 

Imperial   County  placers 156 

Iowa    Hill 12!' 

channel « 135 

Janin,   Charles 37 

Jolon 153 

Jura    River    Channel,    main 114 

Channels 113 

Kaweah    River 152 

Kern  River — 152 

Kernville    and    Keyesville 152 

Keyesville 152 

Keystone    drilling 75 

Kings  River 152 

Klamath    River    above    Orleans 88 

below    Orleans 87 

Knox,  Newton  Booth ^ 26 

Korea,    handmade    drill    in ' 75 

Krogh    Mill -- 62 

Labor    costs    in    drift    mining 61 

La  Grange   Mine -- 39,  94 

La    Grange,    Stanislaus    County 151 

Lake    County 153 

La    Panza 153 

La   Porte   and   Bellevue    districts 122 

La  Porte,  map  of  gravel  channels  of 123 

Last   Chance    Channel 140 

Little  Grass  Valley  district 123 

York  and  You   Bet 133 

York    mining    district,    Map    of 12S 

Location  of  dam  sites 22 

Location   of  valley   barriers 23 

Loss  due  to  closing  of  hydraulic  mines 16 

Lowell    Hill    and    Remington    Hill 134 

Lower    Klamath    River St; 

Trinity   River 91 

Magalia    Channel 102 

Main    Jura    River    channel 114 

Map  of  Dutch  Flat,  Gold  Run,  Little  York,  and  You  Bet  Mining  Districts 128 

gravel  channels  of  Gibsonville-La  Porte-St.  Louis-Onion  Valley 123 

Neocene  gravel  channels  of  Nevada  County ^' US 

Marysville,    advantages    to , 24 

McCray  Ridge  Cliannel 114 

Meadow  Valley  and  iSpanisli  Creek  district 109 

Mechanical   handling  of  gravel 63 

Merced  River 150,  151 

Method  of  working  hydraulic  ground 42 

Methods,    ground    sluicing 66 

of  opening  drift  mines 57 

prospecting  gravel 70 

sampling    : 7I 

timbering     60 

Michigan     Bar 146 

Bluff  Channel I 137 

Mill   Creek  district I ~ lOS 

Miners'  Association,  Review  of I n 

Mines  of  Del  Norte  County I 85 

Mining    methods,    bibliography    of ~ I SO.  81 

Mokelumne    River _~  145 

Mokelumne    Hill    district I_I I_        _Z 147 

Mono    County,    Gravels    in ~~~ 153 

Monona    Flat ~ ~ ~ "   ~_~_ i^^g 

Monte  Cristo  Channel ~_  _~ ~ J J _" l-ig 


166  INDEX. 

Page 

Montezuma   ami   Mountain  Pass 149 

Mooreville    Ridge    Channel 107 

Mountain    House    Channel 110 

Meadows   Cliannel lOS 

Pass 149 

Mt.   Ararat   Channel 105 

Mt.    Pleasant   and    Poverty   Hill 122 

Nelson    Point    district 109 

Nevada    City    and    Grass   "Valley    channels 140 

Countv,"  Map  of  Neocene  gravel  channels  of 118 

Newhall    district 158 

New  River  district 92 

Nimshew  Ridge  Channel -- 102 

North   Bloomfield.  report   of  the  U.   S.   Geological  Survey  on 119 

Values    at US 

North    Columbia 132 

North  Pork  Salmon   River 44 

Omo   Ranch   district — 145 

Onion  Valley,  Map  of  gravel  channels  of 12:5 

Ono    district 101 

Operation    of    Ruble    Elevator 46 

Oresfon    Creek    Channel 140 

Orleans    Channel 132 

Oro  Fino   Valley -- 98 

Oroville    Basin 104 

Outlying    districts 153 

Owens  Lake  district 156 

Pav.   distribution   of 51 

Peckham     Hill 138 

Pit    River 100 

Placer  resources,  bibliography  of 160,  161,  162 

Placer    resources    of    California 82 

r-'lacerville    district 144 

Placing  of  holes 80 

Port    Wine    Channel 124 

Poso  and  La  Panza 153 

Potholes    district 155 

Poverty     Hill ^ 122 

Power  drills,  hand  and,  comparison  of 78 

Profile   of    Tertiary    South    Yuba   and    American    rivers 142 

Prospecting    bv    drill 73 

by    shaft 72 

for   channels 52 

gravel,    methods    of 70 

in    Siberia — 79 

work.    Factors    in SO 

Pump    dredge,    Avistralian 35 

Pump  dredge   in  Victoria 36 

Pumps    for    elevating,    centrifugal 65 

Quaker    Hill 128 

Quartz    Valley -- 98 

Quincy    district 112 

Ralston   Divide    Channel 131 

Readjustment    of   debris    control 21 

Reclamation    of    dredged    lands 20 

swamp    land 17 

Recovery   from   dry  placers 155 

Red    Point    Channel 139 

Relative  weight   of  hydraulic   equipment 38 

Relief  Channel 127 

Remington   Hill 134 

Report   of   the    Secretary   of   Mines,    Victoria 20 

Report   of   the   State   Debris   Commissioner 19 

Review    of    Miners'    Association 11 

Riffles,  types  of 42 

Rock    Creek    district 111 

Rocker.     Details     of 72 

Ruble    Elevator 30,  45 

Cost    of 47 

Operation    of 46 

Sacramento  and  Marysville,  cities  of,  advantages  to 24 

Sacramento    and    Pit    Rivers 100 

Sacramento   drainage   system,   debris  in 1 20 

Salmon  River 96 

Sampling,   methods   of 71 

San  Gabriel  district -- 154 

San  .loaquin,   Fresno,   Kings,   Kaweah  and  Kern   Rivers 152 

San  Juan  Ridge 118 

Sawyer   Decision 10 

Scales    district 121 

Scott  River 98 

Scotts   Flat 133 

Scotts  Plat,   Quaker  Hill  and  You  Bet 128 

Secretary  of  Mines,  Victoria,  report  of  the 20 

Seneca    district 108 


INDEX,  167 

Page 

Shasta   River 99 

Siberia,    prospecting   in 79 

Silt,  beneficial  effect  of 17 

'Sluice   robber'   channels  of   Placer  County 131 

Smartsville    district 117 

Smith    River    placers 84 

Snow  Point  and  Orleans   Channel 132 

South  Fork   Salmon   River 97 

South  Fork  Trinity  River 91 

South  Yuba  River,   Tertiary,   profile   of 142 

Spanish    Creek    district ._ 109 

Stanislaus   River 145,  150 

State   Debris    Commissioner,    Report   of . 19 

State  Engineer's  Report ' 12 

Steam-shovel    mining 64 

St.   Louis,   map   of  gravel  channels   of 123 

Stretch,   R.   H 141 

Study    of    Forest    Hill    region 130 

Succor   Flat   Channel i 135 

Summit    Diggings 138 

Sunnyslde  Mine • 114 

Sunny  South  and   Red  Point  channels 139 

Swamp    land,    reclamation    of 17 

Table   Mountain    Channel 148 

Channel,    Oroville 104 

Rock    Channel 125 

Tar   Mining   Company 63 

Tertiary  South  Tuba  and  American  Rivers,   profile  of 142 

Yuba,  drainage  of 138 

Transportation,  cost  of 31 

of  debris  by  running  water 18 

Trinity    Center   region 95 

River    ; 90 

above    Big   Bar 93 

above   Burnt  Ranch 92 

Tuolumne  and  Merced  Rivers 150 

Type    of    California    dredgers 34 

Types    of    black-sand    machines 69 

dredging    deposits 27 

riffles    42 

Under-currents,   use   of Z I_I  43 

Union    Drill " 79 

Union    Valley    Channel "_ " 122 

Upper   Klamath   region " ~_  90 

Scott  River ~_ I I 99 

Use  of  under-currents 43 

Vallecito  district II I47   14 g 

Values  at  North  Bloomfield I I '  us 

Ventilation   of  drift  mines 60 

Volcano  district ~_  145 

Victoria,  pump  dredge  in '_ I ~_ 35 

Victoria,  Secretary  of  Mines,  Report  of  the 20 

Waggoner,    W.    W 141 

Walker  Plains " II  104 

Weaverville    Basin I 94 

Weight  of  hydraulic  equipment,  relative I  38 

Wheeler    Channel 130 

White   Bear   Channel I  126 

White  River I I  152 

Wisconsin  Hill 13  5 

Woody  and  Wliite  River ~ I_II I  152 

You    Bet 128,  13:i 

You  Bet  Mining  District,  map  of 128 

Tuba,  Bear  and  American  rivers 117 


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RETURN      EARTH  SCIENCES  LIBRARY 

TO  ►  230  McCone  Hall  642-2997 


LOAN  PERIOD  1 
7  DAYS 

2 

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UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA,  BERKELEY 
BERKELEY.  CA  94720 


